Holidays in Utah
by the.nerd.voice
Summary: Sequel to We Are Flynn. As the holidays approach, the family becomes stuck at the house of Sharon's parents where things are discovered and a family is able to begin to heal. Raydor/Flynn with minor Sanchez/OFC. ((Look for the sequel, "Welcome Home".))
1. Chapter 1

"_The weather is blisteringly cold out there, Jim. I've heard they're already canceling flights to and from the city..."_

"_That they are, Amanda, the last fight to come in was from Los Angeles and the airport literally shut down. People are now scrambling to get to their destinations one way or another. Stay tuned as the ongoing coverage of-"_

Andy Flynn shakes his head, reaching over and turning off the radio. The large white van continues to roll down the highway, "I don't know if that's a good or bad thing."

"Good thing. This is the best place to be if you're going to be stuck anywhere for Christmas." Sharon Flynn grins, "At my parents' timeshare, I mean. Fourteen bedrooms, numerous fireplaces, skiing slopes just down the way. What isn't there to love?"

"I love Gram and Grandpa, but I just don't understand why you canceled the car I had reserved. Here, I looked like an idiot arguing with the guy, and you canceled it." Eve Raydor folds her arms, leaning back in her seat, "You didn't cancel Chad's though...didn't cancel your sweet baby boy's-"

Rusty smirks, glancing to Mac in the third backseat, laughing softly as his gaze turns to look through the window next to him.

"Because Chad is bringing his girlfriend and I'm sure the two of them are more than capable-"

"I'm capable of driving myself!" Eve gives her mother a look.

"You're also capable of disappearing for hours at a time to drive into town and go shopping."

"What's wrong with shopping?"

"We searched for seven hours for you last year!" The older woman leans over her seat rest, "Seven hours, Eve. I was ready to call the National Guard."

"Seven hours." Katherine Flynn repeats from the back seat, swinging her legs.

Mac begins to giggle, handing her cell phone to her baby sister as to occupy the toddler.

"I didn't know you had powers over the Salt Lake City National Guard!" Eve adjusts her crossed legs.

"National Guards are national. It's like...right there in the name." Rusty shrugs, teasing her.

"Shut up."

"Jesus Christ, would the both of you shut the hell up? I'd like for this to be a nice holiday for a change instead of constant fighting and looking for Eve in town." Andy looks glances to the rear view mirror at the crew in the car, "Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Mac nods.

"Crystal." Kate repeats.

"Katie, are you excited to see Gram and Grandpa?" Sharon grins to the small girl.

The auburn-brunette haired little girl glances over to her mother, "Juice there?"

"I brought plenty of juice with us for you, yes."

"Excited then." She nods, looking back down to the phone.

"Our daughter is excited about juice." Sharon holds her husband's hand when he reaches for her's.

"Our daughter also gets excited for a cartoon puppy named Blue and a giant purple dinosaur, but I don't ask any questions." Andy smirks, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing the knuckle, "It will be nice to have everyone have their own room and to possibly have some peace and quiet. Your parents are pretty good about that."

She nods, "We're it this year. My brother and sisters are going to their partner's families places this year and since...well, since we don't really have that option, we are the only ones there."

He nods slowly, "There's a lot of us, so it should be alright."

Sharon grins, glancing back again, "Mac, have you ever met my parents?"

Picking her head up to look to the woman, she nods, "In passing a long time ago, but nothing that they'd probably remember me by."

"My mother forgets everything, but my father never forgets a face." She nods, "I'm sure they remember you just fine."

Eve swings her knee over to hit Rusty's, garnering his attention, "So, how has college life been treating you?"

"Um." Rusty shrugs, "Fine, I guess. I'm just doing my basics right now, trying to figure out a major."

"Are you leaning toward anything?"

"I think I want to work in law enforcement, but nothing where I have to actually chase people. I think I'd like to investigate a crime scene...or maybe pathology, I'm not sure yet."

"You're considering medicine?"

He nods a little, "Either way, I'll get to do some hardcore science stuff, which is what I really like."

"I never knew you liked science so much." She smirks.

"Yeah."

"Gotta be smart for that." Eve teases, "You have it in you?"

"More than you do."

She giggles, "Yeah?" Her eyes widen, messing with him, she smirks.

"I feel bad for those kids you teach."

Eve leans over, playfully hitting his arm.

The large white van rolls up the iced road, the trees hanging over the path, icicles forming on the limbs. The lit path shines ever so slightly through the snow covering the lights beneath, the large house seems to grow even larger as they near it. Lights strung beautifully over the outside, decorated elegantly. An older couple rush outside and he notices the smile grow across his wife's face, "Here we go." Andy mumbles, announcing to the rest of the vehicle as he shifts the gear into park.

Sharon nearly jumps from the car, rushing over to her parents, "Mother, Daddy!" She yells, smiling as she wraps her arms around the both of them.

Evelyn Rooney wraps her arms around her daughter, "Sharon, you look fantastic." She swings her daughter back and forth in her hug, "And Andy, come here, give me a hug too." She waves her hand to him, hugging the tall man closely, "Evey, I thought you said you weren't going to be able to make it."

"Plans fell through, Gram." She nods, picking up Kate when she's unbuckled from her seat and walking to their grandmother, "Plus, I'd hate not seeing you."

"Katherine, I believe you've grown about six inches since I've seen you last." Evelyn reaches her hands out, taking the girl.

John Rooney shakes his head, "Inside everyone. You'll catch your death out here." He chuckles to the group, "Mac, I'm glad you've joined us."

Mac smiles nervously, nodding to the man, "If it's okay, Sir."

"You're family. You're always welcome to stay with us." He wraps his arm around the teenager, "Same goes for Rusty."

Rusty pauses, smiling to the man, "Is there anything I need to show you how to use this year?" It had been a running gag that every year Sharon's father would ask the young man to help him adjust some electronic that he just didn't understand. His nickname around the house had been Repair Boy.

"I'm good this year so far. How has UCLA been?"

He shrugs, "Just fine, Mister-"

"Don't we go through this every year?" John raises an eyebrow, "Grandpa...same with you, Mac, if you feel like it. No one calls me Sir or Mister anything around the holidays. It's uncomfortable not to mention dumb as hell when we're all family."

Mac leans her nose to the air, "Smells great in here."

"Yeah, my wife is making pierogies in the kitchen. Go on and have some." He motions.

The girl shrugs to Rusty, walking past them as she goes toward the kitchen.

"Chaddy is already here, Sharon." Evelyn calls out, "He and his girlfriend are upstairs, arranging their room."

"You didn't let Charlie and I sleep in the same room until after we were married!" Sharon gives her a look, smirking.

"I'm not thrilled about that one, but it's fine. They know the rules. If I hear them doing things they shouldn't-"

"Fine, fine." Sharon nods, smiling at the large Christmas tree. "It's always so beautiful in here, Mother, and this year is no exception."

"That tree is huge." Andy looks up as it arches up toward the high ceilings, "Gorgeous."

"Helps when there is a decorator involved." Evelyn smirks, walking off toward the kitchen.

Andy wraps an arm around his wife as they stare at the tree, "Well, everything seems to be going well so far." He looks over as Kate follows Kate to the kitchen, Rusty is speaking to his father-in-law, and the fireplace is burning bright. This was out of some sort of cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie. Feeling her arms wrap around him, he pulls his wife tighter to him, happy to see her relaxed for a change.


	2. Chapter 2

"Do you forget that your mother hates me?" Tricia watches her boyfriend as he pulls things from their luggage, "Your grandparents hate me, your sisters probably hate me, your adopted brother hates me-"

"Tricia, no one in my family hates you." Chad Raydor shakes his head, putting the empty luggage suitcases onto the closet floor, "They don't really know you, for one. I talk about you to Andy. He likes you."

"Your stepfather?"

"My mom's husband? Yeah." He nods, shrugging, "Even so, we're here for a while. You're going to have to kill people for my mother not to like you."

"Oh, by the way, Mrs. Flynn, your son and I eloped last week. Sorry you didn't get an invite." She says sarcastically.

"We can tell them at dinner." Chad smiles, "They're going to have to love you then."

"Your mother probably wanted a big-"

"My mother and Andy eloped after Kate was born."

"That's another thing. What fifty year old has-" Her rant is stopped short with knocking at the door.

Sharon slowly opens the door, peeking in, "I hope I'm not intruding." She grins.

"Hey, Mom." Chad wraps his arms around her, lifting her from the ground.

Tricia rises from the bed, nervously looking to the two.

"Oh." He lowers his mother, grinning as he motions to the young woman, "Mom, you remember Tricia."

"Oh, of course." Sharon steps over to the young woman, pulling her into a quick embrace, "I assume you all got in okay then?"

"Yes, ma'am." Tricia nods, then bites the inside of her cheek, "I mean, Mrs. Flynn."

"Oh, God, please. Call me Sharon." She nods, "I'm so happy you were able to come. Your family was okay with you not being with them?"

The young woman shrugs, "Didn't matter. I wanted to be with my hus-" She stops herself, "My boyfriend and he was telling me about this place, I just had to see it myself."

Chad grins, nodding, "Remember when we came up for the first time? Gram thought she could bring the decorations with her and it would be enough?"

"Yes." Sharon chuckles, "Everyone came that year. I think the total was seventeen hanging stockings."

"There are seventeen people in your family?" Tricia's gaze shifts between her husband and mother-in-law, "Seventeen?"

"Well, that includes grandkids. There were six siblings at the time, four brought someone with us, Five grandchildren already, and my parents." The older woman does the math in her head, "So yes, seventeen." She smiles, glancing to her son, "Did your grandmother know Tricia would be joining us?"

"Yeah. She said she has the extra stockings just in case." Chad nods.

"I really am so happy you're here, honey." Sharon leans over, kissing Chad's cheek, "You too, Tricia. I must unpack. Kate is getting her own room, which she isn't thrilled about so far."

"She has her own room at home." He raises an eyebrow.

"Yes, but this one is much larger and...you know..." She moves her hand in front of her, signaling the girl was unsure about it, "Dinner at five, babe." Sharon lets herself out, walking down the hall to the room she would be sharing with her husband.

Andy relaxes on the bed, flipping through the football games on the television that was hidden behind a mirror in the room, "Shar, you see this?"

Sharon shakes her head, rolling her eyes, "Ten minutes. Could you go ten minutes without watching a sports game?"

"I could, but why would you want to if you don't have to?" He smirks, "How is Chad?"

"I forgot what his girlfriend looked like. Gorgeous. Most beautiful skin I've ever seen."

"She's still black, right?" Andy teases her.

"Yes, smartass." Sharon smirks, "I'm glad he isn't with that anorexic girl he was with last year. Good God would my potential grandchild be ugly."

"Is that what you think about with each girlfriend?"

"Sometimes, yes." She nods, "Especially if he's with them for a while. The anorexic, he was with her for almost a year. I think he really loved her. She broke his heart."

"It happens." Andy shrugs, glancing to his napping daughter next to him, "Kate was exhausted."

"Jet lag probably." Sharon smiles, taking out her large camera from her bag and snapping a few shots of the girl and her husband, "I plan on taking more pictures this year."

"You said that last year."

"I was busy looking for Eve last year, if you remember, and we weren't here for as long as we are this year. Not even to mention it was a little chaotic with...was it-"

"Almost thirty people."

"I don't know why we thought that was a good idea."

"The adults get rooms, the kids get a slumber party by the tree." Andy nods, "I think that plan is perfect, but this year is also great. Nice and quiet-"

"Probably not, but I appreciate your enthusiasm."

"We'll have fun."

"Hopefully." She sighs.

He raises an eyebrow, "Since when are you so pessimistic?"

"Since Chad's girlfriend may or may not actually be his wife."

Andy glances to her, "You think they're married?"

"I read between the lines."

"They never actually said that they-"

"They didn't need to." Sharon puts the clothes in the drawers and in the closet, making quick work of it, "A mother knows."

"He would have told me."

"Probably not. That's something you wouldn't be able not to tell me." She places a hand on her hips, sighing, "I just wish I knew her better. She seems like a lovely girl. Nervous all of the time-"

"You can be intimidating sometimes."

"Oh, please. I've been nothing but nice to her."

"Maybe she can read between the lines too." He smirks, turning the television off and carefully climbing out of bed. Andy wraps his arms around his wife, "He's an adult."

"I'm not upset that he may have eloped, I'm upset that he didn't tell me."

"Maybe there's a reason they didn't tell you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sharon shakes her head, then pauses, widening her eyes, "You mean you think they might be-"

"I don't know. I'm not assuming and I'm not gossiping." Andy shakes his head, "You shouldn't either."

"It would make sense."

"In what way?"

"Well...They weren't dating for very long before they-"

"Almost a year. He's been with her for almost a year, Shar."

"I don't talk to him enough."

"Exactly. So don't jump to conclusions."

"You jumped to conclusions." Sharon gives him a look.

"I'm supposed to. It's my job." He smirks, kissing her softly, "Fourteen rooms in this house..." He trails a kiss to her jaw.

"We're not going to...going to do that in-"

"We can try." Andy picks his head up, waving his eyebrows.

Sharon playfully hits his arm, "You're crazy." She turns away from him.

"Crazy in love with my wife."

She pauses, "Wait...If she is and they are...what about Eve?"

"What about her?"

"If her baby brother is-"

"Oh, I see what you're saying." Andy sighs, folding his arms, "You think she'd take it badly?"

"I think she'd...I don't even know. She was jealous when it was her mother, but her baby brother? That's a whole new ballgame." Sharon swallows, "She's doing so well. She found another job at a school, Mac seems happy, Rusty hasn't said anything I should worry about her."

He nods, "True, but why isn't Julio here."

"She didn't say anything about it."

"I'm not asking."

"Neither am I. If she wants to talk about it-" She nods.

"Right."

"She isn't acting up set or anything."

"So maybe he's staying with his family and she's with her's. Maybe it's as simple as that."

"Nothing is ever simple when it comes to this family. You know that." Sharon runs a hand through her hair, "Especially with Eve."

"Look, let's just let the chips fall where they may." Andy smiles to her, "Let's not worry about things until we need to."

"You're right." She replies quietly, folding her arms.

"Let's go downstairs. Let Katie sleep." He kisses her lips tenderly, "Sit in front of the fireplace or see if your mother needs help with dinner."

"I'd like to see you try to ask her that without her yelling." Sharon smirks.

"Then let's try." Andy chuckles, taking hold of her hand as they walk out of the room, leaving the door open.


	3. Chapter 3

Evelyn putters around the kitchen, glancing to the young girl whose father was married to her daughter, "So...Mac...what is that short for?"

"Mackenzie. I never liked that name, so I go by Mac." She smiles to her, "Your...perogies, was it? They were really good."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I tried to make as many as I could before I came down. We froze them for the trip." She smiles.

"You made those? Like...by hand?" Mac folds her arms.

"Of course." Evelyn nods, "So tell me, Mac, have you ever made sausage before?"

"I can't say I have, no." She tilts her head to the side, "But I'm a quick study and I'm willing to help in any way I possibly can."

"That's the spirit." She smirks.

Eve walks into the kitchen, smiling to the women inside, "Everything smells amazing, Gram."

"I've barely started anything yet." Evelyn glances up to her granddaughter.

"Don't need to. I'm anticipating it all."

"I'll make some meals in the beginning of the week or even before we get here so that I can spend more time with my family." The older woman nods, "It's been that way for...God...years."

Mac grins, "She's going to teach me how to make sausage."

"There are two things you never want to see made, laws and sausages." Eve teases, "Never bothered me though."

"You all have been able to get along? The Flynns and the...Raydors?" Evelyn glances to the girls.

"Yeah, actually. It's been great. Mac lives with me in my apartment."

"Oh? Aren't you young, honey?" The older woman glances to the youngest in the room.

"I'm going to be eighteen soon. I'm looking at colleges. Eve has really helped me with everything. Homework, relationships..." Mac shrugs, "It works."

"She um...When I was in the hospital, she was there with me." Eve nods, placing a hand on Mac's shoulder.

"For the same thing?" Evelyn shakes her head, "I'm not necessarily worried, but I have to...is that safe?"

"Not for the same thing, no. I was there because I couldn't deal with...with what happened to me, she was there for general things. We're both great now though." She nods, squeezing her shoulder as she smiles.

"Eve um...Eve protected me." Mac nods.

"I wouldn't call it-" Eve shakes her head slowly.

"You did. If it weren't for you, I don't know if I would have made it."

"That's very nice of you. Thank you."

Evelyn nods, "As long as you girls get along, that's all I could ask for." She smiles to them, "Okay, we need to ground all of this meat first." She nods toward the machine, "Then mix the seasonings..."

Rusty lies back in his bed, his laptop in front of him as he types, he glances up when he hears a rap at the door, "Come in."

John peeks his head in, smiling to the boy.

"Grandpa, what can I do for you?" He smiles.

"My wife has been..." He sighs, closing the door behind him, "First, I know you're my daughter's level head. You're the one she talks to when...she needs someone to talk to."

"I guess." Rusty shrugs, "What's up?"

"My wife has been a little...off, I guess. She's usually over the moon about this time of the year and she's...well, she hasn't been."

"I'm...I'm not a psychologist."

"No, but you must know something that I don't about talking to women..." John shakes his head, "Please, kid, I'm desperate. I love the hell out of my wife and I want...I want her happy this Christmas." He walks over to the window, watching as his daughter chases after his youngest granddaughter in the yard.

Rusty nods slowly, "I'll see what I can do, but I...I can't make any promises."

"I uh...I work. I've worked since the day I was born. My father did as well." He nods, "We lived in New Hampshire. She stayed at home. There were a lot of us. Fourteen...I was the only boy."

"You had to deal with thirteen girls?"

"We were a large Irish Catholic family. We worked a family farm. That's what was done in those days. We lived in a four bedroom house. One was my parents and we spread ourselves amongst the other three according to age and maturity." John smiles, remembering, "When my mother died, I was nine. The...my sisters were spread out to my aunts and uncles houses. I stayed with my father, as a man carrying on the name should, you know-"

"I changed my name, so I wouldn't know anything about carrying names." He smirks.

The older man nods, still watching his daughter through the window, "Living with my father meant I worked early. He...We never talked about women because there weren't any to talk about. He remarried, as one does, but she was much younger than him. They had more kids. Seven, as a matter of fact."

"Holy," Rusty shakes his head, "You're telling me that your dad had twenty-one kids in total?"

John nods again, "We all worked on the field. His wife hated me, so...there were no heart to hearts or talks on how to treat other women."

"You must have done something right. You've been married a long time."

"I think she felt sorry for me."

"She wouldn't have had six kids if it was to feel sorry for you." Rusty shakes his head, "She loves you...she loves you a lot. I see how she looks at you. Even to this day, there's a gleam in her eye and a smirk in the corner of her mouth."

John nods, "You'll talk to her?"

"I'll try."

"Thanks," He swallows walking back to the door. John pauses, looking to the young man again, "Maybe you're getting into the wrong thing. You have a way with people, kid. You might like science, but you'd be...You'd make a great counselor."

"Thanks." Rusty nods, "Oh, and Grandpa, don't hesitate to...If you need to talk, you don't have to have a reason. Alright?"

John smiles to the boy before letting himself from the room and walking downstairs.

Sharon rolls the large snowball with her daughter, "See, Katie? You have to...If this snowman is going to be half decent-"

"Shar, snowmen aren't perfect. That's why it's a snowman. People aren't perfect." Andy shakes his head, sitting on a blanket they had placed on the step.

"I know that!"

"Snowman!" Katie cheers, unable to move much in her packed lavender snow suit. She hobbles, making a tiny snowball and throwing it at her father, giggling.

He grins, "Are you starting a fight with dear old dad, Katie-bear?" Andy slowly rolls a ball, throwing it at his wife.

Sharon jumps when the cold snow hits her hip, looking to him with a shocked look on her face, "Really?"

Andy smirks, rolling another and throwing it at his daughter, knocking her over.

"Help." Kate yells, then swings her arms and legs around, lying on her back in the snow.

Sharon rushes over to the girl, "Katie?"

"Snow angel!" She yells.

The woman grins, rolling a snowball and pegging it at her husband's head before helping the girl up.

Andy picks his hand up, ready to throw another.

"You all are going to catch your death out here. Come inside for some hot chocolate." Evelyn peeks out the door, smiling and shaking her head to them, "Andy Flynn, you drop that right now. My daughter played softball growing up. Aim is better than anyone I know."

"I know it, Ma'am." He drops the snowball, walking over and carrying his daughter for his wife.

"I win." Sharon smirks, leaning up and kissing her husband softly.

"I would have had you beat if your-"

"I win." She nods again, opening the door for him to the mudroom.

"You're lucky you're pretty." Andy grins, kissing her before putting their daughter down.

Sharon quickly slides her gloves, scarf, coat, and boots off before kneeling and helping her daughter do the same. She watches the girl run off and her husband about to follow the girl before grabbing his hand, "Wait a minute."

"What?" He looks to his wife and is met with a deep kiss upon his lips. Andy smirks, "Well...what was that for?"

"I'll meet you upstairs in ten minutes. The bedroom all the way down the long hall on the left." She raises an eyebrow before walking away from him.

Andy gives himself a thumbs up before walking out to the other room.


	4. Chapter 4

It seems as if Andy isn't able to jog up to the room his wife had told him she'd be waiting for him in. He smirks as he sees her lying seductively on the bed.

"Hello, Lieutenant." Sharon bites her lip in a grin, lying nude under the satin covers, "Seems you gave me a bruise with your snowball, so I figure you have to be punished somehow."

"Well, Captain, I do enjoy your punishments." He steps over to the bed, "I really gave you a bruise?"

She nods, "Did you want to check for yourself?"

Andy pulls the covers off of her, grinning at her nude form before him. He tilts his head to the side, seeing the quick bruise that had formed where she said it did. He leans down, kissing it softly, "I apologize, Captain."

"I can think of something." She catches his lips as he moves up to her, kissing him deeply, "Your nose is still red."

"So is yours." He smirks, running his rough hand up her side, "A beautiful shade of red." He kisses her lips again.

"You're a bit overdressed for the occasion, Lieutenant."

"Maybe you should undress me, Captain."

Sharon nods, pushing him over. Her hands reach to his leather belt, gently unbuckling it with a smirk on her face, "We've been pretty busy lately."

"We have."

"And it's been...a little too long."

"A few weeks." Andy watches her making quick work of his pants, he removes his shirt and undershirt, tossing them aside.

Sharon traces the outline of his erect member through his boxers with her nails, before edging them down and stroking him better, "We've been stressed."

"Holidays are always busy at work. You know that." He watches her intently, pulling her face in again to kiss her deeply, "I thought about pushing you into a janitors' closet...or on your desk." He trails his lips to her neck.

"We'd have to lock everything...close all the blinds." She tilts her head to the side, giving him access as her stroking of him increases it's pace.

"Dream of mine."

Sharon throws her leg over his waist, straddling him before he reaches down and adjusts his member to slide into her opening. She hisses, moaning as she moves completely down onto him.

"No rush...your mother put Katie to work in the kitchen. We're alone for a while." He grins watching her sink onto him again, "You're beautiful as hell." He reaches up, looking into her eyes as his hands rest on her hips.

"Not so bad yourself." She begins to rock on him, her hips moving slowly at first before increasing their pace. She moans, leaning her head back.

"Even wearing a parka." Andy moves his hips with her movements, pushing himself into her more. He leans up changing their position so she continues to sit in his lap. He moves his mouth over her breast, running his tongue over her nipple, causing her to jump slightly. Andy gives a throaty chuckle that only causes his wife to feel it in her chest.

"Oh God." She groans, placing her hands behind his head, "I'm almost there."

He smirks, rolling her over, "My turn." He doesn't let up, his tongue moving to the other nipple, his pace increasing even more as he props himself up with his fists. Andy notices when she begins to near her peak, her tone getting louder and louder with every thrust. He covers her mouth with his own in an attempt to quiet her as she climaxes.

Mac walks down the hall, hearing the common sounds of sex, she sighs. "Don't even want to know." She shakes her head. Hearing the numerous amount of bathrooms, and bedrooms, she decided to take it upon herself to explore each one. A plan was put into motion, in her head at least, where she would use each one, since they were all decorated very differently. Breaking to the opposite side of the hall, she steps into it, noticing the bed untouched. She smiles, moving to the bathroom. Sitting down, she notices something in the waste paper basket, picking it up, she reads the box, "Pregnancy test?" She shakes her head, pulling it out and noticing the lines on it. She opens the instructions, reading them as she urinates. "It's positive..." Her voice hushed. She finishes and washes her hands, running from the room and leaving it on the sink. Mac barges into her brother's room, "Rusty."

"Why am I such a hot commodity?" Rusty glances up to her, noticing she's out of breath, "What's the matter?"

"Come here, you've got to see this." She grabs his hand, pulling him down the hall, to the room. She points to the plastic stick resting on the sink, "Look."

"Oh my God." He can't help but smirk, laughing, "This was in here?"

"Yeah. It's not funny."

"Whose is it?"

"I don't know."

Picking it up, Rusty opens the cap analyzing it under the fluorescent lights of the bathroom, "It's still wet. Is it your's?"

"Did you forget that part where I'm a lesbian?" Mac shakes her head, "I don't have sex with boys so this isn't an issue unless I want it to be."

"Well, who is left? Chad's girlfriend, Eve, and Mom."

"She's older than before, do you really think Sharon would have another baby? Things went so swimmingly last time." She replies sarcastically shaking her head as she folds her arms, "It's not Eve. She hasn't brought Julio around for months."

"Well, that doesn't really matter either." He pauses, feeling guilty that he has not been speaking to his sister like he once did, "I think it's Chad's girlfriend. Maybe Gram knows and that's why she let them stay together."

"You think she just wouldn't tell Sharon though?"

"Gram is all about the surprise effect. Chad usually stays away for the most part, even at Christmas, now all of a sudden he's bringing his gorgeous girlfriend around?" Rusty shakes his head, "Big news is the only explanation."

Mac smirks, "We're going to be an aunt and uncle."

"You know, Andy is his sponsor. I bet he knows." He sighs, putting it back in the box and tossing it back in the basket, "Sharon really hates surprises like this though."

"So, tell her maybe."

"It isn't my secret to tell."

"Technically, we don't know whose it is." Mac shakes her head.

"If I..." Rusty runs a hand through his short hair, "I don't know, Mac."

"Just tell her you found it maybe."

"I'll wait until after dinner though."

"Good idea, Uncle Rusty." Mac teases.

"Here we go." He shakes his head, washing his hands before he leaves the room, jogging down the steps when he reaches them, glancing to the dinner table which was now set.

Eve helps her grandmother place things onto the table, "This all smells amazing." She smirks.

"Couldn't have done it without your help, honey." Evelyn pats the girl on the back, "Could you go and let everyone know that dinner is served?"

"Won't everything be cold by the time I get back?"

"Heated plates, girl. Go ahead." The older woman nods.

Eve smiles, walking toward the stairs and knocking each door as she passes them, alerting everyone to the hot food now sitting on the table, "This should be interesting." She mumbles to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

As the inhabitants of the house slowly seem to creep downstairs and sit around the table. Chad pulls a seat out for his wife, pushing it in and holding her hand as they watch everyone else sit as well, "You okay?" He leans over to her, speaking quietly in her ear.

"I'm fine. Stop freaking out. I should be the one freaking out." Tricia shakes her head, "This is your family that hates me, remember? They're going to hate me even more soon enough. So let's get this out of the way."

Rusty sits across from Mac, motioning to his brother and the woman with a tilt of his head.

Mac giggles, then looks to the oldest woman, "Everything looks amazing, Mrs. Rooney."

"Thank you, dear. I couldn't have done it without your help and Eve's help." Evelyn grins to both of the girls.

"Here's your spoon, Katie." Eve smiles to her sister, putting scoops of mashed potatoes and peas into small bowls. She hands her a toddler spoon, "See who is on there?"

Katie studies the spoon, tilting her head to the side, "Elmo!" She yells.

"Yep." She carefully ties a bib around the girl's neck, "So go to town, girl."

Sharon and Andy are last to join, awkwardly sitting at the table, almost like guilty school children.

Eve leans over to them, "I hope you...washed your hands before you came to the table..." She smirks.

Sharon blushes, glaring toward her daughter.

John stands, "Alright everyone. Bow your heads." He does the same and glances around to make sure everyone else is doing the same, "Heavenly father, we thank you for this food that we share with our family that my wife and granddaughters painstakingly put together. We thank you for the company of new faces to our table in Mac and Tricia, and we thank you for the good luck you've given us over the years. Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty through Christ, our lord." He picks his head up, nodding, "Amen. Let's eat, damn it." He waves his hand, sitting at the head of the table.

Chad stands looking to everyone who just seem to freeze, "I'm glad I came this year. I'm glad you've all welcomed Tricia with open arms. We have some great news to share with you all-"

"You're pregnant." Sharon blurts, looking to them, hopefully.

Rusty makes an excited face to Mac, "Didn't even have to say anything."

"They must be detectives." Mac smirks.

"What?" Chad shakes his head, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but Tricia and I eloped about a month ago. It's what we wanted. Nothing...nothing too fancy or-"

"You thought I was pregnant?" Tricia looks to her mother-in-law.

"Well, people usually have reasons for eloping-" Sharon shakes her head slowly.

"Am I fat?" The darker skinned woman widens her eyes.

"No, honey. You're gorgeous, it has nothing to do with-" The woman shakes her head.

"Okay." Chad booms over the both of them, "Now, everyone knows. This is my wife and we're very happy." He takes hold of her hand, smiling to her as he returns to his seat.

Tricia leans her head onto his arm, with a smile, gripping his hand.

"Wait a minute." Rusty puts a hand up, "Okay, so...Mac found-"

"Why are you bringing me into this?" Mac makes a face at him.

"Mac and I found a...a pregnancy test in one of the bathrooms at the end of the hallway. Are you just not saying you're pregnant right now because you just found out?" He glances to the newly married couple.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Tricia looks to the younger man, raising an eyebrow.

"No one is saying that, I swear to you." Rusty sighs, "We just thought-"

"It was mine." Eve stares at her plate, "Okay? Now everyone knows. It was mine."

"But it was-" Mac smirks.

"I know what it was." She takes the napkin from her lap, placing it next to her plate, "Excuse me." She hurries away from the table.

An awkward silence falls upon the table, Evelyn picks her head up, looking to the group, "What the hell was that about?"

Andy places a hand on his wife's back, "I think we just found whose goose is cooked."

Sharon nods slowly, "I should go check on her."

"Give her a few minutes. She's better to talk to if you give her a few minutes." Mac nods, shocked as she sits there with a grin on her face.

Evelyn nods, "Good idea, Mac. Can we please eat now?" She stabs the piece of ham with her fork.

Dinner remained eerily quiet, not to mention uneasy. No one knew whether to tell a story or hurry and finish in order to get away from the table faster. While everyone pitches in to clean up, Sharon carries a loaded plate upstairs, gently opening her daughter's bedroom door.

Eve is curled on her side, knees brought up as far as they can while remaining comfortable. "I smelled when you were down the hall."

"Oh, honey." Sharon sighs, setting the plate on the dresser before sitting behind her daughter's form. She reaches a hand up, stroking her hair, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Honestly?" She swallows, rolling to her back so she can look to her mother, "I didn't want to hear you say I told you so."

"Why would I? Isn't this what you wanted?"

"I thought so, I mean..." Eve reaches up to wipe tears that were starting to fall down her eyes, "We...we decided, amicably, that we would just be friends again. He's moved on. With some...gorgeous young thing-"

"You are a gorgeous young thing."

"Yeah, well..." She edges herself up until she's sitting, "His Catholic guilt told me that we would get married if I ever...and I don't want him to marry me just for the sake of being married for a child. Does that make sense?"

"Yes." Sharon nods slowly, "Have you decided what you're going to do?"

"I want to keep it, but...If I'm going to tell him at all, I need it to be in a controlled environment."

"I don't think he'll get angry-"

"He's very sweet most of the time, but he also has a very heated Latin temper."

"But I've never-"

"You've also never been as intimate with him as I have." Eve shakes her head slowly.

"You have me there." She smiles to her daughter, "I support whatever it is you want to do. You will never want for anything, neither will my...my grandchild. That sounds so odd to say and actually...actually mean it."

The younger woman giggles softly, "Grandma."

"There are plenty of names I could go by."

"You have plenty of time to think about it."

Sharon nods, leaning over and taking her daughter into her arms, "I love you so much that my head is going to pop off. Okay?"

"I love you too, Mom." Eve returns the woman's hug, giggling softly.

"You should probably eat."

"I'm starving, so that'd probably be a good idea." She smirks.

Sharon walks to the other side of the bed, sitting with her daughter.

"What?"

"I didn't say anything."

"No, but you want to."

Sharon slowly shakes her head, keeping a hand on her daughter's back, even while she's eating, "Is the reason you didn't want to tell me-"

"I told you why I didn't tell you."

She sighs, shaking her head, "I've lost my...Was there something I did that would make you or your brother not want to talk to me?"

Eve shakes her head, "Never." She swallows, "It has nothing to do with anger or...anything like that. It has more to do with disappointing you. It's the very last thing we would ever want to do...Disappointing you is our biggest fear, both Chad and I. That's why he talks to Andy, to gauge his reaction and see what yours will be. I talk to Rusty...I used to talk to Rusty..."

Sharon nods slowly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She brings a hand to her chest, "You could never disappoint me. Never...unless you plan on becoming a serial killer-"

"Damn."

"What?"

"Becoming a serial killer was on my bucket list and I don't know if I can-"

Sharon playfully hits her arm, "I'll show you bucket list."

Rusty dries each plate as it is passed to him by Evelyn, smiling to her, "The food was fantastic. I would have had seconds and thirds if there-" He pauses, "Well, if there was someone to sit at the table with me."

Evelyn smiles, "I would have, honey. You should have said something."

"It's okay. I'm trying to stay fit, you know? Trying to gain some muscle."

"Well, you look great to me. Like some superhero or something."

Rusty smirks, "When was the last time you saw a superhero?"

"Valid point." Evelyn nods, "Look like a superhero to me."

He nods, "So, we haven't been able to-"

Katie pulls on her grandmother's pant leg, "Gam...Gam!" She yells.

"That girl doesn't know about inside voice." Rusty smirks.

"Her mother was always loud when she was small." Evelyn nods, drying her wet hands before picking the girl up, "Now, Katherine, what can I do for you?"

"Cup and blankie." The girl mumbles, putting her head onto the woman's shoulder.

The woman glances to Rusty, "What's that mean?"

Rusty smirks, "Means she's ready for a nap...They usually try to keep her awake until a little later. She just likes to cuddle right now. You go ahead, I'll finish up here."

"Thank you." Evelyn pats him on the shoulder before walking away,

Mac brings in the last dish to the kitchen, "Is it weird that I'm still...I'm still trying to grasp-"

"There's nothing to grasp, Mac." Rusty sighs, motioning for her to wash, "Eve has been wanting this for a long time."

She bites her lip, "Yeah, but what about me?"

"What about you?"

Mac shakes her head, scrubbing the plates, "We live in a two bedroom apartment and I don't go to college until-"

"She'll need your help." Rusty nods, "You think it's just going to be the baby coming and you get the shaft, but it isn't."

"How do you know?"

"I thought the same thing with Katie. Eve isn't your mom, it's your sister. You can help her decorate the room for the baby. You won't be there much longer because you start college soon anyway, but you can make sure the kid coming has a nice set up."

Mac sighs, "Like you did with Kate?"

"Yeah, exactly." He nods, "That girl is the moon to my stars and I'd do anything for her. The only way we got that way is by leaving the 'what about me' thoughts in the cold."

"Not to mention you spent a lot of time with her."

Rusty glances to her, drying the last plate and putting it away, "Because I wanted to. Not because I had to. You'll set eyes on that kid and never want to care about anything else. I guarantee it and the thing isn't even born yet."

"What do I do in the meantime?" Mac watches him, folding her arms.

"Whatever you can do. Clean the house, make dinner, pack lunch for the two of you for the next day. Little things like that help a lot." He shakes his head, "Just be there for her. You know she's had it rough...just be there."

She nods slowly, "Thanks."

"Nothing is about you anymore, Mac." Rusty smirks, "And if you need help, I'm only a phone call or a drive away."

Mac smiles broadly to him, hugging him quickly, "Thanks, big bro." She replies again and then walks away from him, leaving him at the sink to collect his thoughts. Something inside Mac tells her that everything she knows as normal now is about to change very quickly.


	6. Chapter 6

John Rooney sits at the dining room table, newspaper spread out, a coffee mug containing black coffee in his hand. He glances above his thin framed glasses to his son-in-law, "Grab a cup and come read the sports page."

"That's what I plan to do." Andy grins to him, the electric coffee pot rests in the middle of the table, as well as an assortment of mugs. He fills one, adding two sugar cubes, "How did you sleep, John?"

"Oh, how does anyone sleep anymore?" He shakes his head, "Eventful day yesterday."

"Yeah, Sharon slept with Eve."

John smirks, "My first great-grandchild."

Andy nods slowly, "Congrats, sir."

"Your first grandchild."

"Yeah, if Eve has me." Andy nods slowly, "That kid will know no different though."

"Any talk of who the father is?" John glances to him again tossing the sports page in front of him, "UCLA didn't do too well yesterday."

"UCLA has had a shitty season all together." He sighs, then looks to the man, "Yeah, actually. However, it isn't my place to talk of it."

"I mean to ask, is he a good man?" His tone cautious, yet concerned.

"Yeah, he'd never hurt her. He'd...I don't know what's going on between them two, but if he knew, he'd find a way up here to be with her. I think he loves her."

"But my granddaughter is the one guarding herself. Just like her mother, that one." John shakes his head.

Andy smirks, nodding, "It wasn't until long after Kate was born before she even opened up to me. Stubborn as hell. I don't know where she gets it."

"My wife." He chuckles.

"I see."

"She didn't marry me until we dated for nearly two years. That was unheard of then."

"I'm sure it was." Andy smirks.

"Her mother made our wedding supper. All the Polish food you could get your hands on. I loved it. I was stationed there during the war."

"Which?"

"During the Korean War. I was stationed there though. Guess I lucked out."

Andy nods, "I guess you did."

John smirks, "She was worth the wait."

Rusty walks over, smelling the coffee, "Morning." He glances to Kate, who is following on his heels.

"Morning." Andy smiles to him, "UCLA lost."

"Damn." He sighs, pouring a mug of the dark liquid, quickly pouring cream into it, "Figures right?" He shakes his head, walking over by the large Christmas tree, "Katie, what are your plans for today?" He sits on the floor, crossing his legs.

"Pay in da 'now." Kate motions to the large windows for the snow outside of them.

Rusty raises an eyebrow, glancing to the men, "Did it snow again last night?"

"A good foot, give or take." John nods.

The young man looks back to the little girl who was now mirroring his sitting position, wearing lavender footie pajamas, "I don't know about playing out there today, Katie. It's above your head."

"But I tall." She shakes her head, standing and leaning up on her tiptoes.

"Very tall, just not tall enough. Maybe we can bring some inside and make snow cones later. How does that sound?" Rusty grins.

"What dat?"

"Oh, it's like ice cream except not. We take snow and pour juice over it and eat it."

"Oh. I like 'now cone."

"I'm glad to hear it." He chuckles as the little girl sits in his lap. Catching sight of a figure walking down the stairs, he smiles to the young woman, "Morning."

Tricia nods to him, "Good morning." She yawns, "That coffee is strong. I could smell it all the way upstairs."

"Just one little pot." He motions, "Go ahead and help yourself."

"I don't drink the stuff." She puts her hand up, smiling when she sees the girl in his lap, "She really does love you."

"Of course she does. She's my baby sister." Rusty grins to Katie who was now running her finger over his face, "What are you doing?"

"I'm painting yo face." Kate smiles.

He looks back up to Tricia, "She's painting my face."

She grins, "So, you were adopted?"

"Something like that." He nods, "This is the only family that matters to me."

"Could I ask you something then?"

Rusty raises an eyebrow, "Sure."

"Since you were once an outsider, how did you get inside?" Tricia sits near them on the floor as well.

He smirks, laughing a little, "There's a little more to it than just that."

"I want Sharon to like me."

"Don't try so hard." Rusty shakes his head, "She is a cop. She can and will see right through lies or half truths."

"I don't lie."

He shakes his head, "I don't mean it like that. I mean 'Oh, I love pasta sauce made from the blood of orphans' and responding with 'Oh my God, me too'. Stuff like that."

Tricia nods, "Chad thinks the world of her. He feels guilty for not speaking to her for a while after his father died. He talks about it all the time."

"Sharon was...so broken up..." Rusty thinks back to when she cried on his shoulder after the funeral, when she layed in bed for two days straight, "But Chad was a drunk then and I am really happy for him that he has cleaned himself up and...met a great girl..."

She blushes, "I don't know you very well, Rusty, but I hope that since Chad is going to be an Uncle now and wants to be close with Kate and the rest of the family again, I hope I get to know you better too."

"Likewise." He nods.

Katie watches the woman, tilting her head to the side, "You beau'pul."

"What did she say?" Tricia smirks, watching the little girl.

"She said you're beautiful." Rusty nods, "She's right, you know. When you don't doubt yourself at every turn, you're gorgeous."

She blushes, nodding, "Thank you."

He smirks, standing, "I'm going to take her upstairs to get dressed. I mean it, Tricia, don't worry about it. The more you worry, the more you try. So don't worry. You're family now. You're in." Rusty nods to her, holding Kate's hand as they slowly tackle the stairs, one at a time. He glances to Eve's room before walking across the hall to Kate's.

Sharon holds onto her daughter as they lie in bed, stroking her hair. She softly kisses the girl's shoulder.

Eve groans, "What time is it?" She swallows.

"Little after ten."

"Gram is going to kill me for sleeping in so late." She leans against her mother.

"Me, she will yell at. I think she'll let you slide." Sharon smirks.

She clears her throat, licking her dry lips, "You didn't have to stay in here last night."

"I wanted to...I needed to." She smiles, laughing to herself a little.

"After all these years and you still want to hold us when we're sick."

"I'll hold onto you as long as you'll let me."

Eve smirks, not wanting to ruin her mother's comfortable embrace, "I was thinking last week about how I wanted a trainer because of how I have a...pouch now. The pouch was hard, but still I didn't think anything of it."

"You already have a belly?

She swallows, "Yeah." She gently moves her mother's hand from around her chest to her middle, "See?"

Sharon swallows, "My God, Evey." A grin slowly forms across her face.

"I missed my first one and I chalked it up to stress from a new job...and then I missed a second one a week ago."

"So you're eight weeks at least."

"Yeah...something like that."

Sharon absently caresses her daughter's belly, her head resting against the girl's back, "Are you happy?"

Eve pauses, swallowing, "I haven't thought about that yet." Her tone is soft, "I thought I'd be and now...now I just feel confused and conflicted."

"You will never go through this alone."

"I know."

"You will never be without your family or anyone else."

"I know." She nods, "It just isn't registering in my head yet."

Sharon smiles, "I felt exactly the same way with you, Chad, and Katie." She giggles softly, "The ways you all were created was so different, the ways you were all born, just everything."

"Yeah?"

"You were made the night your father was informed he passed the bar exam. There was a party and we were both very intoxicated."

"Well, sounds dreamy." Eve replies sarcastically.

"You were born in a hospital though. As was Chad. Katie was the only one-"

"She was born in a police station. Not only does that kid have a fantastic sense of ironic humor-"

"We almost died." She sighs, "If Andrea wasn't there to call for help, I would have bled out and you may not have had either of us."

"I know." Eve says softly, waiting a few moments, "You'll be there for everything?"

"Don't even try to keep me away." Sharon smirks.

"Okay then." The younger woman reaches her hand over her mother's, interlacing her fingers between the other woman's fingers, "Let's do this then."


	7. Chapter 7

Eve sits at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, sipping her tea. She moves her fingers nimbly as she scrolls through the news on her phone.

Rusty breezes through, having been followed by Kate most of the day, "Where you been all day, preggo?"

"Not even funny." She scowls.

"Oh, come on. It's a little funny." He nods, folding his arms.

"So is Donald Trump's hair, but you don't see me paying much mind to it because he's mostly just a sad, senile old man."

Rusty smirks, "Why do I feel like I'm happier about this than you are?"

"Because you probably are." Eve moves her head to lean on the countertop, softly pounding it against the cool marble surface, "What am I going to do, Rusty?"

"What?"

"Do I tell Julio now or do I wait to tell him in person? Do I tell him at all? I mean, we're going to be here for a while. There's supposed to be more snow tomorrow. Only way to get anywhere is by car and that's a ten hour drive back to LA with good weather. Double it for this shit." She motions toward the window and the piling snow.

"Take this from someone who didn't know who his father was until a few years ago and then learned that it wasn't worth it in the first place-"

"That doesn't exactly make it sound like you're the best person to give me advice on this."

"Wait." Rusty puts his hand up, leaning on the counter across from her, "I sometimes think that if my biological father would have known about me sooner, like from birth or not too far from it, that maybe we could have had a relationship. Maybe he wouldn't have been an asshole towards me or punched me in the face-"

"I don't think that-"

"I'm saying, that you should tell him as soon as possible. I brought my laptop. You could do a video conference."

Eve tucks a stray hair behind her ear, "You'd let me touch your laptop?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Rusty raises an eyebrow.

She shrugs, "Never did before."

"Eve, you're using it to video conference the father of your child to tell him that you're expecting. It's a big moment. I can set it to record if you'd like."

"You can do that?"

"I can do lots of things."

Eve giggles softly, biting her lip with a nod, "You better be right about this, Rusty Flynn."

"I'm usually right about a lot of things." Rusty grins.

"Is that going to be the saying of the season?"

"Have a problem with it?"

"I could never have a problem with you, little brother." Eve smiles to him, hearing the kitchen door open, she turns, seeing her other brother, "Rusty, could you give us a few minutes?"

"I'll get that set up for you. I'll call Provenza and make sure he can get Julio in front of a screen there."

"Thanks." She nods to him, then looks to the other man, "Chaddy."

Chad runs a hand through his hair, "Seems like we each had a secret this year."

"Yeah, but you were a little obvious with yours." Eve spins slowly to face him on the barstool, folding her arms, "You haven't come for the past three years and then all of a sudden-"

"You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend!"

"I remember Tricia from the Policemen's Ball, she's a little anxious about everything."

"She's afraid everyone hates her here." Chad shakes his head.

"No one knows her. I blame that on you though. We don't bite...much." Eve tilts her head to the side with a smirk.

He glances to her, nodding, "Much is right." He chuckles a little, "Do I know this guy who knocked you up?"

"Straight to the hard hitting questions, Chaddy?"

"I just want to know if I need to kick his ass." Chad folds his arms, watching her.

"He works with Mom and Andy." Eve nods, "You've met him, but you don't need to know details right now."

"I don't need to-" He shakes his head, walking closer, "I couldn't save you before. Do you get that? The only thing I'm supposed to do as your brother is to protect you. That's the only job I have and I couldn't even do that because I was drinking."

"Chad-"

"No, let me finish. I've cleaned up since then." He nods, "I've found the girl of my dreams and I've...I've completely neglected you. We haven't spoken in-"

"It's okay."

"It isn't." Chad shakes his head, looking away from her, "Dad would have been-"

"Dad was a lot worse than you were. You aren't Dad." Eve stands, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his large, muscular torso, "You don't have to take his place. You have a place, Chad. You're my little brother."

He bites his lip, wrapping his arms around her in return, "I'm never going to let you down again, Evey."

"You never let me down before." She looks up to him, "I couldn't be more proud of you. However, you need to come back to everyone. Kate barely knows you and-"

"And since I'm going to be an Uncle-"

"Since you're more than likely going to be an uncle, you have to come back." Eve grins, "Plus, I want to get to know your wife. Find out what her skin care routine is."

"Right? She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"It's not even fair." She shakes her head, smirking as she moves away from him and behind the counter, "Anyway, you hungry? I was about to make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

"Are we five?"

"Would being five be such a bad thing?" Eve smirks, glancing behind her brother, noticing the little girl standing there, watching them, "Katie?"

"P-butter Jelly?" Kate tilts her head to the side.

Chad glances back, "How long have you been standing there?"

The girl smiles more, "P-butter Jelly."

"I'll make you one. Come and sit." Eve shakes her head, chuckling, "Whatever Katie wants..."

The man grins, picking the tiny girl up and sitting her on the countertop in front of him, "Should have told us you were there. What if we were talking about Christmas presents?"

"Ask Tanta Claus." Katie shakes her head.

"What?" He raises an eyebrow.

"She said to ask Santa Claus. She can't do hard S sounds yet." Eve smirks, watching them as she makes sandwiches.

The girl reaches up, tracing the outlines of his face with her finger.

"Now what are you doing?" Chad furrows his brow.

"Paintin' face." Katie nods, pouting her lips as she concentrates.

He smirks, "It's freaky how much you look like Mom, you know that?"

"My Katie, not Mommy." The girl shakes her head at him, making a face.

Eve giggles, pushing plates towards them, "Eat your damn sandwiches."

Rusty waits on the computer, sending a text to Provenza to ask Tao or Buzz for help. He hears a ring coming from the laptop, pressing a button to answer the call, he grins when he sees the three men staring at the screen, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Rusty. How is Salt Lake City?" Buzz smiles to him, rolling closer in his desk chair.

"Cold. So much snow that the closed the airport entirely and we can't even leave the house." He shakes his head, "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."

"And how is the family?" Tao stands, letting Provenza have his seat as he crouches next to the chair.

"Chad got married without telling anyone...to the girl from the Policemen's Ball, I don't know if you guys remember. Gorgeous girl." Rusty nods, "I have to ask you all something though, without going to get him, can you tell me if Detective Sanchez is there?"

"Julio? Yeah. He's in interrogation. Why?" Provenza turns his head slightly, listening to the young man on the screen more.

"It isn't really my..." He shakes his head, "Eve really needed to talk to him. Just let me know when he gets out."

"Eve? She okay?" The older man sits up more. He had a bond and affinity toward the young woman that even he couldn't describe, "I bet you're all going a little nutty being stuck in the house."

"Eve's fine. She just really needs to talk to him." Rusty swallows, smiling, "This house has fourteen bedrooms and that doesn't even begin to cover how gorgeous it is downstairs. We're the only family here this year. Captain has a bunch of other siblings, but they all went with their associated significant others this year. It's really nice actually. Quiet, if you can believe it."

"Fourteen bedrooms?" Buzz shakes his head, shocked.

"With a maid that comes every other day."

"You guys are lucky."

"If you think so." He giggles.

"Where the hell is Andy?" Provenza sits up, "The Captain and Katie as well."

"I'll take you downstairs another day. You're stuck with me and Eve when she gets here." Rusty shakes his head, hearing a knock at the door and picking his head up as it opens.

Sharon peeks her head in, "Hey. Have you seen Eve?"

"She's downstairs. Why?"

She glances to the laptop, walking in more and closing the door behind her when she notices who is on the screen, "Hey there guys."

"Hello, Captain." Tao smiles, waving a hand. He stands, "I'm getting another chair."

Sharon sits next to Rusty, "Eve talk to Detective Sanchez yet?"

"Not yet." Rusty glances to her.

"What the hell is the big secret between-" Provenza pauses, slowly realizing what issue could be so important that they would use a video conference.

The woman notices his face and the gears turning in his head and shakes her head, "Keep it to yourself, Lieutenant."

Rusty sighs, "She shouldn't be alone."

"She won't be. I'm staying here with her." Sharon nods, then looks back to the screen, "Guys, please don't tell him. This is her-"

"He hasn't been having a good day today." Louie shakes his head, "This could go either way."

"She was going to wait. I talked her into today." Rusty nods, "And once she gets her mind on something-"

"It's going to get done. I know." Provenza scowls at Sharon.

Sharon smirks, glancing to her son, "Go get Eve?"

"Buzz, go get Julio." The older man motions.

"Tell him to go to the Conference Room. I'll take the laptop in there. Give them some privacy." Tao nods, picking the machine up.

"You should too, I think." Rusty nods to Sharon.

"She shouldn't be-"

"I know. I'm taping it for her to remember." He smiles a little, "She'll be fine."

Sharon nods slowly, "Go get her." She says again, watching the boy get up and walk out, "Lieutenant Tao?"

Mike Tao picks the laptop up, looking at the woman, "Yes, Captain?"

"Is everything okay there? I can't ask Lieutenant Provenza because he'll say yes regardless of the actual situation." She offers a smile.

"Everything is great, Captain. Slow, actually. It should pick up on Christmas Eve, like it usually does."

"Let Homicide cover them. You guys need a break too."

"Yes, ma'am." Mike grins, placing the laptop on the table, "I'm going to go check on Julio's status." He walks away, then steps back into frame, "Oh, and Captain?"

"Yes?" She picks her head up.

"If we don't speak before then, have a Merry Christmas." He smiles, nodding before jogging from the room.

Sharon sighs, looking toward the door, praying this would all go okay for her daughter.


	8. Chapter 8

Julio Sanchez glances up to the man, "What kind of video conference?"

"The Captain. She...she wants to check in with everyone..." Buzz smirks, leading him toward the room.

Sanchez is able to tell the man is lying, but doesn't call him out, "Everything okay?"

"Yes, why wouldn't it be?" He opens the door.

Provenza notices them, calling to the man before he walks in, "Sanchez, come see me when you're finished." He can't help but smirk.

Julio nods, stepping over to the chair when Buzz closes the door behind him. Hearing the general quiet of the room, he sees the laptop sitting alone on the table. He sits in the chair, smiling when he sees Eve on the screen, "Didn't expect to see someone so beautiful on a conference call."

Eve smirks, folding her arms, "Everything okay there?"

"It's quiet here. I would usually say too quiet, but this close to Christmas...I'm not complaining." He shakes his head, "How about there? House big?"

"Always is...too big." She smiles, looking away.

"I'm sure it must be so hard." Julio replies sarcastically.

Eve nods, "The hardest."

He nods, leaning back in the chair, "So, what do I owe the pleasure of this?" Sanchez motions to the computer with his head, "Just a friendly chat?"

"Yeah." She nods, speaking awkwardly, "You've been okay?"

"Eve-"

Eve stops, swallowing, "I just want to make sure that you were-"

"Why are you calling through a video thing to ask that? You could have called my phone." He raises an eyebrow, "Unless you just had to see me."

"Don't flatter yourself. I-" She shakes her head, "I actually have to go. I'm sorry." She presses the button, disconnecting the call. Eve gets up, jogging into the hall and down the stairs, shaking her hands. Tears fill her eyes as she attempts to catch her breath, she bursts through the door leading to the outside, letting the cold air hit her face.

Andy sees the girl run by in his peripheral vision while he watches football on what may be the largest television he's ever seen. He stands, following her. He opens the door, seeing the young woman stand there, "Eve?"

"I couldn't tell him." Her voice soft, her arms wrapped around herself, "I...I couldn't tell him."

He shakes his head, not knowing what was going on, "What are you talking about?"

"Rusty set this thing up so that I could tell Julio about the...the thing and I just couldn't." Eve slowly turns toward him.

"It's cold out here, come on." Andy moves to her, gently pulling her back into the house.

"I saw him and I just...I couldn't say a word."

"Hey, it's alright." He swirls his toothpick to the other side of his mouth as he wraps his arms around the girl, "It's big news. Sometimes it's hard to tell."

"It can wait until we get back, right?" Eve bites her lip.

"Of course. It can wait a while." Andy smiles down to her.

"I'm going to make some peanut butter and jelly and then take a nap."

"That sounds like a great idea." He nods, letting her go and watching her stalk off toward the kitchen. Andy quickly reaches into his pocket, calling his best friend.

"What the hell is going on over there?" Provenza barks into the phone, answering it.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Louie."

"I tell Sanchez to see me after his talk and he does and acts completely indifferent. Confused as hell, but doesn't say a damn thing about her." He sits back in the seat in the break room, putting his feet up on another nearby chair.

"You know?" Andy shakes his head, listening intently.

"It wasn't hard to figure out."

"Did you say anything?"

Provenza sighs, "No, but I think Tao figured it out. Buzz and Sykes are still in the dark."

"Good. I think you need to tell Julio."

Louie begins to shakes his head, "That isn't my information-"

"She's too nervous. It's new news to her." Andy slides his hand into his pocket, "He's had a shit time this year. He deserves some good information from it."

"What makes you think it will be good for him?" When the man hears nothing but silence, he continues, "You're right."

"I know." He turns, looking to everyone else, "I need to go before someone hears me, but just tell him."

Provenza smirks, "I'll talk to you later, Flynn." He touches the screen of the phone, disconnecting the call before he stands, walking out to the Murder Room. "Julio, with me." He motions to the man.

Julio follows closely behind the other man, "Yes, sir?"

Louie closes the door behind them in the Break Room, "You said your video conference was odd?"

"I didn't see a reason for that when it could have been said in a phone call."

"There's a reason for it."

"Yeah?"

Provenza slides his hands into his pockets, "Was she nervous at all?" When the other man nods, he continues, "Julio, Eve's pregnant."

Sanchez watches the older man, "You joking?"

"No, I wouldn't joke about this."

"She's...with my kid?" He begins to smirk.

"You're going to be a father." Louie nods.

"I'm...And she couldn't-"

"She's stuck in Salt Lake where the snow is higher than the windows-"

"I have to go to her." Julio can't help but give a full on grin, "I'm going to be a father."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about after. She was supposed to tell you during that." Provenza watches the man, "It was her secret to tell, but she chickened out, I guess."

"I need to order plane tickets-"

"The airport there is closed because of snow." He shakes his head, "So, If you're going to go, you're going to need to drive. What about your girlfriend?"

"What?"

"Weren't you supposed to spend Christmas with Natalia?"

Sanchez shakes his head slowly, "She's not the mother of my child and I'm not in love with her."

"It's a ten hour drive on a good day. Double that with all the snow."

"I'd drive all night to get to her. It doesn't matter." He smiles again, jogging from the breakroom.

Provenza pulls his phone out, using a text message to alert his friend that the man had been informed.

Flynn grins, looking to his phone when it vibrates with a nod. He notices the constant movement of people in the house.

Rusty steps into the kitchen, smiling to the woman he had grown fond of to call his grandmother.

Evelyn glances up and smiles to the boy, "Rusty, would you like some dessert?"

"Maybe." He nods, "What do you have?"

"Pumpkin pie, apple pie, coconut custard pie, chocolate pie-"

"Pie, pie, goose."

"Pudding, and ambrosia."

"What's ambrosia?" Rusty raises an eyebrow, "Sounds exotic."

"Honestly, Marshmallows, fruit, and a couple other things." Evelyn smirks.

"I'll have some of that."

"Good. I was having that too." She nods. The short, stout woman with thick fingers that had been burned and broken over the years, puts equal amounts in bowls, "Have you been having a good time so far?"

"It's been eventful." Rusty grins, "How about you? You've been...quiet, I guess."

She pauses, not realizing she had been displaying anything different, "I have?"

He nods, "Everything okay?"

Evelyn takes a seat across from him at the breakfast nook table, "Everyone talks to you, don't they..."

"I guess I"m just a good listener."

"My daughter talks to you, my granddaughters would walk on coals for you. Why is that?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Rusty shakes his head, "I'm good at keeping secrets, no matter how outrageous something may be. I take the things that the people I love say, very seriously."

Evelyn nods, "I don't dislike you, Rusty, I'm just...I'm not a talky person. Lots of people have problems way worse than my own and I hate to bother anyone with those problems."

"Why, though..."

She shrugs, "It's how I was raised, I guess."

"It's different when it's only affecting you and no one else is bothered. However, your husband is really worried about you...I mean...really." Rusty nods, watching her, "So, tell me, don't tell me, it's entirely up to you. Just know that saying a little could make you feel a lot better."

Evelyn swallows, pulling a spoonful of the ambrosia to her lips, "I went to the doctors before we left."

"And?"

"I had some tests run a while back and the results came in."

"What kind of tests?"

"A spinal tap and an MRI. Plus, a couple other simple things." She nods.

"A spinal tap isn't really..." He shakes his head, "What did the tests say?"

Evelyn is silent a few moments before looking to him with her crystal blue eyes and a smile that was obviously repressing her emotions, "The tests said that I have MS."

Rusty nearly drops his spoon before looking up to her, "Multiple Sclerosis?"

She places her spoon back on the table, sitting up straight, "That's the...that's the first time I've been able to say it."

"Grampa doesn't know?"

Evelyn shakes her head slowly, "Just my doctor and I. I didn't want to...if it was something too serious and I wasn't going to last very long, I didn't want to worry everyone."

"Gram, MS isn't like a cold."

"There's um...I was reading information on the computer about it."

"And?"

"There's two types. The doctor said I have the first...Um..." Tears begin to come to the older woman's eyes even though she refuses to acknowledge them, "Relapsing-Remitting MS. I have to be careful when people are sick among other things. A fever can be life threatening."

"You need to tell your family." Rusty reaches out, taking hold of her hand, "You can't do this alone."

"I don't want the looks of pity. I don't want people worried from day to day if I'm going to die before they get to say things to me. That's not how I am. That's not what I want."

"Right, but you should tell your husband. You married him for a reason and it wasn't only for his good looks and charm." He smiles simply, "We all love you. Even I love you and I just met you a few years ago."

"I love you too, Rusty." Evelyn smirks to the boy, quickly using her napkin to dab tears away.

"If something happens and maybe you do get a fever or something, Grandpa needs to know what to do to help you. It would be dumb if you died from a fever. This isn't 1812." Rusty grins.

"You're right." She nods, "I don't want to ruin his holiday."

"He loves you more than anything in the entire world. You could never ruin anything for him."

Evelyn watches the boy, "You remind me of him. My father didn't want me to marry him because he wasn't Polish. I told him, Dad, it's okay. He's Irish and he's Catholic. Then John told him that he'd give his life for me because a life without me wouldn't be worth living. My father was near ready to start throwing us an engagement party after that." She laughs softly, mostly to herself, "We've made the most beautiful, most intelligent family in the entire world. I'd change absolutely nothing."

"No one is asking that anything change."

"I don't want it to change, Rusty."

"It won't. I promise."

"Fine then," Evelyn nods slowly, "You have a...you have a way with people."

"That's what I hear." Rusty smiles to her, "Now, go ahead and finish eating. This stuff is great."

She smirks, "You're lying."

"Nah." He shakes his head, "Did you want to talk about the other things going on?"

"I'm glad Chad has his head on straight."

"Everyone is."

"And I'm going to be a great-grandmother."

He grins, "Which, I'm more...She usually tells me everything and I didn't see that coming at all."

Evelyn reciprocates his emotion, "I want to be around to see that day."

"You will be. You have nothing to worry about." Rusty shakes his head slowly, "We'll be there together...I wouldn't miss it for the world."


	9. Chapter 9

"So then what did you say?" Sharon slowly removes her jewelry and clothing, slipping into her pajamas as her husband lies in bed, watching some sports network on the television.

"I told her big news was hard to tell." Andy glances toward her, "What does it matter? She's fine now."

"You should have come to get me. I wanted to sit in with her for this exact reason." She sighs, removing her earrings before walking over to the bed and removing her glasses.

"I didn't know where you were."

"I was helping Mac build a pillow fort with Katie." She smirks, thinking of just how ridiculous it sounds.

"A what?" He chuckles.

"A fort made out of pillows. Katie is sleeping with Mac tonight in said fort. They're all set up like they are camping. It's exciting for Katie." Sharon shrugs, "Nothing like real camping whatsoever, of course, because she has taken her portable DVD player with her, but I'll let it slide."

Andy grins, rolling over and wrapping an arm around his wife, "I'm sure the girls will love it."

"Or Kate will pee on the floor because she now refuses to wear her pull-up diaper because neither of her sisters wear one." She sighs, sitting back and shaking her head, "Girl is stubborn."

"Wonder where she gets that from."

"Both of us, I think." Sharon absently strokes his arm with her nails, "I want to know how she figured out the girls didn't wear pull-ups."

Andy grins, shrugging, "She isn't stupid."

"No, she is not."

"Nothing gets past her."

"Her parents are detectives."

"That is very true." He smirks.

"Yes, it is." Sharon glances down to him, "We have a perfect daughter."

"All of our children are perfect in their own way."

She nods, "Mac is just like you. Patient and loyal, tenacious when she needs to be."

"You got all of that from making a pillow fort today?"

Sharon giggles softly, "Over time."

"She's a beautiful girl. Looks like her mother."

"Has your eyes."

"True." Andy nods, "Chad is quiet, stays to himself for the most part. Doesn't like confrontation and never wants to disappoint you or Eve. It would be the end of his world if he did."

Sharon shrugs, "He was always my sweet boy...until he got older. He never understood the situation with his father. Eve and I overcompensated sometimes, I think. We knew he was hurting, but we never knew how to help him."

"You helped him plenty." He smiles, "Eve is you. Just...she has different hair and eyes, but the rest is all you. Personality, just...even her damn voice."

She smirks, shrugging, "It happens."

"I'm glad it did." Andy leans up, kissing her lips tenderly.

Sharon places her hand on his face, nuzzling against him when their lips part, "I love you so much." She says softly, her nail gently stroking the gray hair at his temple.

"I love you too, Shar." He kisses her again, holding her tightly afterwards. He reaches over, turning off the television as she turns off the bedroom light.

"What is this thing called?" Mac watches the portable DVD with the toddler.

"That Brobee." Katie nods.

"Well, I like him." She smirks, "And the little blue cat thing too."

"Cat-dragon."

"Whatever."

Rusty leans his head down, looking into the opening of the pillow fort, "Have room for one more?"

"Rutty!" Kate grins.

"We are watching Yo Gabba Gabba. This show is...um..." Mac shrugs.

"My name is Katie...I like to dance." Rusty smirks, speaking of a portion from the show.

"My Katie. You Rutty." Kate nods to him, giggling.

"Yeah, Rutty. There's plenty of room." Mac grins, teasing him.

"Thank you." He nods, sitting next to them in the fort.

Mac waits a few minutes, noticing the little girl had fallen asleep. She closes the player, "How's Eve?"

Rusty shrugs, "I watched the video."

"And?"

"It's almost like you could see where she started freaking out."

She nods, "Did he say something to-"

"No, and that's the weird part about it. He was happy to see her. I think he misses her." He shakes his head, "There was really no reason for her to freak."

"That's sweet." Mac smirks.

"Has she said anything at home about him?"

"He came by a few times when they were together and then it just stopped. She broke it off, I think. She was just starting to have feelings for him."

"Then that's why she broke it off." Rusty nods slowly, "I'm going to kick her ass."

"Why?"

"You never really hung out at the station like I have, Sanchez is one of the coolest guys there. Weapons expert. Awesome as hell. He was one of the only ones that never questioned Sharon when she became boss. I always admired him for that."

Mac nods "Did my Dad?"

"Sometimes, but not usually. I think it was mostly to appease Provenza anyway." Rusty shrugs, "I'm just saying, she broke up with a great guy because she was afraid of her feelings for him."

She snorts, "You need to go into psychology."

He nods slowly, "After this week, I've been thinking about it."

"So go for it. You give out great advice and people can talk to you real easily." Mac covers her baby sister up as she lies between them, "I just hope she doesn't pee."

"She'll be fine." Rusty smiles to her, "I'm going to go check on Eve." He slowly climbs from the fort. Leaving the room and walking to that of his older sister's, hearing music coming from the room, he opens it, smiling to her.

Eve sits on the floor, her eyes closed and her hands spread out in front of her with the palms up. "Close the door."

"What the hell are you doing?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Baking cookies." She smirks, "I'm meditating." She opens her eyes, glancing up to him, "What's up?"

"You always do that?"

Eve shrugs, "I try to. I...I prefer it to popping a pill to calm down and considering I can't exactly take said pills right now..." She nods.

"I get it." He offers her a hand, "Want to get up?"

Eve smiles to him, taking hold of it and getting up slowly. "Were you hanging out in your room?"

"Mac and Katie built a pillow fort. I was checking it out."

"That's so cute."

Rusty nods, "It is. She was sleeping when I left. Has decided not to wear diapers anymore because you and Mac don't wear them."

"She's right. I do not, in fact, wear diapers." Eve smirks.

He watches her, "We should talk."

"I don't really have anything to-"

"Just because your heart was broken before, doesn't mean you have to wrap it in iron and keep it from anyone else." Rusty nods.

Eve watches him, almost studying him, "How long have you been holding that in?"

"I watched the video." He says quietly.

"You shouldn't have done-"

"He loves you and I can tell that you love him. You're both too damn stubborn to admit your feelings toward one another."

"That's why I left him."

"What?"

Eve sighs, sitting on the bed, "I'm not ready to be in love right now."

"There's no such thing as being ready."

"He told me he loved me and I left him." She finally says, "I've...I was too embarrassed to call and apologize or...anything. He deserves better than that."

"What if you're the best he can get and you turned him away?"

Eve shrugs, "I want him to be happy."

"And you don't think a baby is going to make him happy?"

"I don't want a baby being the only reason we get back together. I don't want it clouding our judgements." She shakes her head, "I don't want to get back together. I want him to have his life and me to have mind and that's that."

"He's always going to be connected through you with this kid."

"It's my child, Rusty."

"And it's his too." Rusty waves his hand in the air.

"Whose side are you on?" Eve stands, glaring to the young man.

"I'm on Little Rusty's side." He motions to her middle, "I want that kid happy and healthy with two parents who love them. Whether those parents are together or not, they're still going to be parents."

She shakes her head, "Could you just go, please?"

"I know you don't want to hear it. I know you don't want to entertain the notion." Rusty moves to her, hugging her tightly, "Some people, who aren't family, are going to love you. You can trust them. Love won't always bite your face off."

"I rather not take the chance." Eve whispers in his ear, hugging him back.


	10. Chapter 10

Snow on top of snow without an end in sight. It had been a few days of this. Sharon and Andy had taken turns speaking with the office, Chad and his wife were mingling more with family, and Evelyn Rooney announced she has Multiple Sclerosis. There wasn't anything that was shrouded in secrecy any longer and the cloud that had been hanging above the house seemed to back away, revealing a genuine love for the people contained within it.

Andy sits with his younger daughter on the floor, putting together a puzzle, "Where does that one go, Katie?"

Kate attempts to put a puzzle piece where it obviously doesn't belong, placing it over the hole and hitting it a few times.

"It doesn't fit there." He shakes his head.

"Does too, look." She picks it up, pulling off the looped ends and putting it back.

Andy raises an eyebrow, "It was a corner that you were attempting to fit in the center of the board. If you would have listened-"

"All done." She gets up, running away from him.

Tricia catches the girl, "Let's help your dad clean up." She smiles to her.

Kate grins back to her, "Kay." She steps back over to her father, watching him, "Good job." She nods to him.

"I'll show you good job." Andy can't help but laugh.

Tricia kneels, picking the large puzzle up as well.

Katie kisses her father on the cheek, then does the same to her new sister-in-law before walking away again.

"That girl." Andy shakes his head.

Tricia smiles, "She's very sweet."

"Manipulative is more like it. She's either going to grow up to be a great detective or a serial killer."

"Well, I hope it's the first one." She nods.

"As do I." He smirks, "So, Tricia, tell me more about yourself. About your parents."

"My father was a doctor and my mother was a homemaker. They died in a car accident when I was sixteen."

"Oh, wow. I'm sorry to hear that."

She shrugs, "I lived with my grandmother after. She died earlier this year. Chad really helped me through it."

He nods slowly, "He really turned out to be a good kid."

"I love him a lot." Tricia smiles.

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm an obstetrics nurse."

"What hospital?"

"Cedars...I remember when Kate was born." Tricia smiles to him, "I was the one assigned to Mrs. Flynn...or still Mrs. Raydor at the time."

Andy looks closely at the young woman, "You know, now that you mention it, I remember you now. Small world."

"When you're in my line of work, you always wonder what happens to the babies when they grow up. What kind of people they become." She smirks, "I'm glad to know Kate is gorgeous, smart, and funny."

"So am I." He nods, "It's all from her mother...the humor is me though."

"I didn't want to say anything because I thought it might seem weird." Tricia shrugs,

"You helped my wife a great deal. Thank you." Andy grins.

"It's just my job." She finishes, standing, she notices her husband sitting off to the side. Tricia grins as she walks to him.

John Rooney shakes his head, watching his grandson and the boy's wife kiss on the sofa, "Get a room." He calls playfully, standing when he hears the doorbell ring. "Might be a mountie or something."

"Grandpa, there's no such things as mounties here." Eve shakes her head, reading a book, but listening to everything going on. She sits up slowly, closing the book in front of her.

"Then possibly a friendly Saint Bernard."

"Or possibly Saint Bernard himself because I'm pretty sure that's our only way of getting out of this house." She smirks.

"Patron saint of travelers? Fitting." John nods, finally opening the door. "Yes?" He looks at the middle aged man in front of him.

"Sir, I'm-" The man starts, shivering ever so slightly.

Andy looks over, grinning, "Julio?" He nods to his father-in-law, "He's...He's fine. Let him in."

"You were able to get up the way?" John stands aside, letting the man in.

Eve stands, her eyes going wide. She begins to shake her head, "No." She whispers, mostly to herself as she dashes up the stairs to her bedroom.

Chad stands, nodding to his wife before he follows his sister.

"What the hell was that about?" John straightens, closing the front door as he begins to glare at the new man.

Julio shakes his head, "I..." He glances towards the stairs.

"Andy, who is this man?" His gaze is never taken off of Sanchez.

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is Julio Sanchez. He's a part of the Major Crimes team." Andy tilts his head towards the stairs.

"Then why is my granddaughter upset?" John's voice raises.

Sharon jogs down the stairs, speaking as she hops from step to step, "What the hell is going on down here? Eve comes running upstairs, freaking out and-" She stops, smirking when she sees the man, "And now I understand why."

"I didn't mean to scare her." Julio shakes his head.

She walks down the rest of the steps, noticing her mother come out from the kitchen, "Daddy, he's fine." She waves her hand, walking closer to help him take his coat off.

John continues to scowl at the man, shaking his head when his daughter and son-in-law speak to him near the fireplace.

"Oh, would you stop?" Evelyn gently takes her husband's arm.

"Eve ran out of here like a bat outta hell."

She chuckles softly, "Because I'm betting, and my powers of intuition have never failed me yet, that the young man we see before us is not only a coworker of our daughter, but our great-grandchild's father."

John shakes his head, "Him?"

"Yes."

"He's too old for her."

"Well, it's a little late for that, isn't it." Evelyn chuckles, releasing his arm, "I'm going to go check on Evey." She nods, slowly tackling the stairs. She knocks on the young woman's door before letting herself in, "Evey."

Eve paces slowly, her hands trembling.

"She's running a marathon." Chad sighs, "Back and forth, back and forth."

"I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready." She shakes her head.

"Baby, you're never going to be ready." Evelyn shakes her head, "This is one of those times you face your fears head on." She steps closer, though much shorter than the girl, she pulls her into an embrace.

Eve leans her face into the woman's shoulder, "I don't want to face any fears right now."

"He obviously already knows." She kisses her temple.

"Did he hurt you, Evey?" Chad folds his muscular arms, watching the women.

"No, never." The young woman's voice seems so small, "The only thing he ever did was love me." She whispers the statement, looking to her brother.

He nods slowly, smirking, "You can't be afraid of it anymore."

"I know."

Evelyn grins, "Now, you can hide in here all day and all night, but it's too dangerous for him to leave and I'm not forcing it. Your mother is thrilled that he's here and frankly so am I."

Eve stands upright, "Why are you thrilled?"

"I'd like to meet him. I'd like to get to know him." She nods, "He's older than you."

"I know."

"Why would you go for someone older like that?"

She sighs, smirking with a pout, "I have a thing for older guys."

"Daddy issues." Chad teases.

Eve scowls playfully.

"I'm going downstairs. Whether you want to join me or not is entirely up to you." Evelyn nods, leaving the room.

Chad looks to his sister again, "You okay though?"

She nods, "I will be." Eve folds her arms around herself, "I just...I just need a few minutes."

"You aren't alone, Evey. There are a lot of people here who love you a lot. We have your back." He steps over to her, kissing her softly on the forehead, "You will never be alone. I love you."

"Love you too." She whispers, watching as her brother leaves, shutting the door behind him to give her privacy. Eve slowly sinks to the edge of her bed, swallowing as she lies back. With shaking hands, she lifts the bottom of her shirt, placing a palm against her taut lower abdomen. The young woman closes her eyes, finding a sense of calm at that moment. Eve gently falls asleep, still staying in the same position.


	11. Chapter 11

"Evey?" Sharon sits next to her daughter, gently stroking her hair as she holds her hand, "Evey, wake up." Her voice calm, but obviously worried. She leans down, gently kissing her forehead.

Eve opens her eyes slowly, taking a moment to register just what exactly is going on. Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe the entire trip has been nothing but a dream. Maybe she isn't even pregnant, "Happened?" Happened? She asks herself. That's a stupid question. That's not even a full sentence. She feels drained, her body feels heavy.

"I don't know, honey. One minute you were telling Chad to give you a minute and the next it's been a few hours and you never came down." She shakes her head.

"I'm just tired." The young woman slurs, "Tired and hungry. I could go for a peanut butter and jelly."

"Captain, would it be better if your son's wife took a look at her? She's a nurse and...I'd rather be safe than sorry." A different voice says from the doorway.

Eve tries to look over, but her mother is in the way. She knows that voice. She's heard it many times, but she isn't quite able to pinpoint exactly who said voice belongs to.

"I think that'd be a great idea, Julio." Sharon nods, "Go ahead and get her."

"It wasn't a dream." Eve whispers, trying to lick her lips with a dry tongue.

She tilts her head to the side, "Tricia will be up any second."

The young woman barrels into the room, "What's up?" She moves to the other side of the young woman, taking her wrist and checking her pulse.

"She's kind of out of it."

Tricia sighs, shaking her head, "Her pulse is a little slow."

"We don't have any medical supplies up here." Sharon shakes her head.

"Let's get her some water?" She nods, smiling to her sister-in-law, "Eve, did you by chance take anything?" She watches as Sharon bolts from the room.

"No." Eve clears her throat, "Where are we again?"

"Oh, it's okay. You're safe." Tricia nods, "I'm going to need you to maybe sit up a little bit and have some water. Think you can do that?"

"I feel heavy...heavy and sore."

"I can help you." She smiles, doing as she says. She swings the girl up to the head of the bed, propping her up with a stack of pillows, "How is that?"

"Better." Eve smiles, unable to really keep her eyes open.

"What do you think is wrong?" Julio steps in more, stepping aside to let the Captain in with her glass of water and a straw.

"I think she's dehydrated, but the other stuff would usually warrant me putting oxygen on a patient. Is she diabetic?" Tricia continues to watch her as the young woman's mother places the straw to her lips.

Sharon shakes her head, "No." She watches her daughter, "Come on, Evey."

"I'm fine." Eve shakes her head, smiling to her mother, "Who would have thought a nap would warrant everyone freaking out?"

"Because you didn't tell anyone you were napping." She shakes her head, "Keep drinking."

Julio walks in more, kneeling next to the bed and taking hold of her hand.

The young woman slowly glances over to him, "I'm pregnant." Her voice hoarse, giggling when her mother shoves the straw back into her mouth.

Sanchez smirks, "Provenza told me."

"Now, was that so bad?" Sharon smiles.

"Provenza told you?" She raises an eyebrow, the straw still in her mouth.

"That may have been my fault." The older woman lifts the corner of her mouth, "He's a detective, Evey. Not like he wasn't going to figure it out on his own when we got back."

"You told him?" Eve slowly glances to her mother.

"Not in the 'Oh and by the way' sense. I asked for Sanchez and he put two and two together." She shrugs, "Not like I wouldn't ask for him any other time, but...it was a little obvious when I said it was for you. I'm sorry."

"I just...I don't want to jinx it, Mom." She shakes her head.

Julio shakes his head, "It's okay, Eve."

"I don't know anything about my body right now. It isn't okay." Eve snaps, starting to become more alert at each passing moment. She sighs, leaning her head onto her mother more, "Sorry." She says quietly.

"I'd say you should rest, but I don't know if that's such a good idea right now." Tricia shakes her head.

"I'm fine. Hungry, but fine." The other woman nods, "Thank you for your help." She nods as the other young woman exits the room, then looks to Sanchez, "Mom could you just give us a few minutes?"

Sharon smiles, kissing her daughter on the temple, "I'll be just down the hall with Andy and Kate. She's terrible to put down to nap lately."

Eve nods, watching as she leaves. She finally looks to Julio, who wasn't letting go of her hand, motioning him onto the bed with a movement of her head.

Julio smiles, climbing onto the bed, taking hold of her other hand, "The first thing we're doing when we get out of here is getting you to the doctor's."

"I agree." She smirks.

He sits back, "I can't believe it worked."

"Me either. I was starting to doubt I could even have children anymore."

Sanchez holds her hand tighter, "Me too."

Eve slowly glances over to him, "I'm sorry I ran away like I did-"

"It's okay."

"It's just...I'm not ready for that."

"I said it's okay." He smirks.

"I don't want to get married, I don't want to...We can...we can try again, but only if we both want to for one another. Not for the baby." She swallows.

"You know how I feel about you." He reaches over, gently push a lock of hair from her face, "I know you aren't comfortable with it, but I'll take you any way you'll let me have you."

Eve nods, letting a tear fall down her cheek, "The test could have been a false positive and-"

"You don't believe that's true, so why should I?" Sanchez watches her closely, taking the glass of water from the table and holding it for her.

"I'm afraid if it is and I'm afraid if it isn't...I don't want to get my hopes up."

"I know about your ex, I read the file, I worked the case." He shakes his head slowly, "That will never happen to you again."

"You can't promise that." She replies softly.

"If it was a false positive, we'll try again. We always have fun trying."

Eve swallows, "What about your girlfriend?"

"I'm not in love with my girlfriend-"

"Julio-"

"I mean..." He shrugs, "I'll just tell her how it is. I'll break it off."

"So close to Christmas?"

"What would you rather I do?"

Eve smiles, "Call her and tell her something came up...Skype with her a time or two, then let her go after New Year's. That is, if you want to."

"There is no girl in the entire world that compares to you." Sanchez smirks waving an eyebrow.

"Ladies man Sanchez is back." She giggles, leaning in and kissing his lips softly.

He reaches his hand down, touching her hard middle, "I'm not letting anything happen...to either of you." He kisses her temple, putting the glass back on the nightstand, and holding her closely.

Sharon slowly paces with her younger daughter, stroking her hair, "There has to be an easier way to do this."

Andy shrugs, shaking his head, "Maybe she's just getting too old for it."

"She's two." She sighs, "Chad and Evey loved naps...Chad was six when he stopped, Eve was nearly ten."

"You made a ten year old take a nap?"

"I never made either of them take a nap. They just wanted to."

Andy chuckles, "That never happens and since this girl is headstrong like you-"

"Like me?" Sharon raises an eyebrow, "Hold that thought, let me go put her in her crib." She walks into the hall, gently depositing the small girl into her crib, tucking her in with a kiss on the head. She returns to her husband, "If anyone is headstrong-"

"All I know is that she's perfect." He smirks, "Also like her mother."

"What are you up to?"

"I didn't say a word." Flynn watches his wife.

She slowly climbs across the bed, kissing his lips deeply, "This isn't the time for this."

"For what?" He smirks, "I didn't do anything." He leans in more, returning her kiss.

"We should lock the door."

"Shar-"

"Or hide in another room altogether."

"Shar, we can do this later."

Sharon picks her head up, "I don't know if I can wait until later." She bites her lip playfully with a smirk.

"Then lock the door because I can't have someone running in here to tell us anything-"

"Catching us mid-coitus."

"Coitus?"

"Yes."

"People still say that?" Andy begins to chuckle.

"I believe I just did." She grins, climbing off of him and walking around to the door, "Are you saying you don't believe we should partake in the art of coitus?"

"I just want to know what has you so revved up...not that I'm complaining."

"There's romance in the air." Sharon shrugs, smirking.

"Okay," Andy nods, sitting up more, "You do know the romance was going on with your daughter, right?"

"Romance is romance, no matter who." She climbs back over to him, sitting on his lap as she laces her arms over his shoulders and around his neck, "I like romance, what about you?"

He raises an eyebrow, leaning in and kissing her again. His hands travel around her waist, pulling her close to him. Andy moans softly, "This has to be some kind of altitude sickness thing. Maybe you're going stir crazy."

"Probably." Sharon smirks, "Are you complaining, Lieutenant?" She grinds her hips against him.

"Not in the least bit, Captain." Andy mumbles against her lips, running his hands up under her cashmere sweater, he moans. "We should wait. Dinner is going to be soon."

"Not for a few hours, but dinner needs an appetizer and a desert." She stands next to the bed, removing her designer jeans. Sharon walks to the dresser, sitting on the edge. She motions him over with a wave of her finger.

"I can get used to this." He raises an eyebrow, taking off his own pants and sweater. Grinning as his manhood points in her direction.

"Perfect height for-"

Andy moans, kissing her again as he eagerly enters her. He tries to hold the dresser still as his hips take on a mind of their own, moving in and out of her like a piston.

Sharon wraps her legs around him, leaning her head back to groan loudly.

He places his lips against her neck, knowing it has always been one of those spots on her that always sends her over the edge. A bead of sweat trickles down his face.

She begins to whimper, nearing her climax as she pushes her hips back toward him, allowing him more of an entrance.

Andy's mouth finds that of his wife's in an attempt to silence one another from their vocal outcries of ecstasy.

Sharon places her head on his shoulder, attempting to catch her breath. She giggles to herself, "Romance."

He removes himself from her, still holding onto her, "We are the ultimate romance story, you know. People would write books and movies about us.

"While flattering, that seems like a giant waste of time." She grins, "I should have taken off my sweater...it's covered in your sweat."

"Probably." Andy nods, kissing her lips softly as he moves away from her completely. "I'm taking a shower. Care to join me, Captain?"

"Yes, Lieutenant, I believe I will." Sharon slides from her place on the dresser and follows him into their private bathroom.


	12. Chapter 12

Sharon stands at the top of the grand staircase leading to the living room below, holding her husband's hand. She descends a few steps, listening closely, "They've already started." She swallows, "Damn."

Andy walks down a few more steps, looking up at her when she pulls his arm, "Does that mean I don't get any?"

"There's always leftovers. My mother is Polish. It's what we do."

"Then what?" He shakes his head.

Sharon sighs, walking with him down the other stairs.

"Sharon Rooney, you're late." Her father's voice booms over the table, "Same with you, Andy. Sit down."

"I'm sorry, Daddy." She bites her lip taking her usual seat.

Chad smirks, eating the cabbage covered meat balls his grandmother had a fancy name for, but her could never pronounce as well as the hand mixed mashed potatoes, "Mac help you again, Gram?"

Evelyn glances over to the boy, taking a sip of her red wine. She nods, "She did a fantastic job."

Mac shrugs, "I just mashed for you. You put the other stuff in it."

"Yes, and all of those ingredients are very much a secret." She winks to the young girl.

"That's not fair. I don't even know them!" Eve glances to her grandmother incredulously.

"Well, if you would have helped, you would have gotten them too." Mac smirks.

"I was resting!"

"That's enough." Evelyn puts her hand up, "Help me next time and you will learn."

Kate uses her fingers to feed herself the chunks of meatball mixed with rice, "Mommy okay?"

Sharon nods, "Of course, honey. Why?"

"Heard yelling." She tilts her head to the side, "Dad too." The little girl points to him with her tiny finger.

"There was no yelling." Andy smiles to the girl.

"Was too. And bangin'." Kate smiles innocently, "You okay?"

It slowly dawns on Sharon just what her daughter was referring to, "We're fine, Sweetheart."

"Yell and bang."

"Well, at least she got the banging part right." Rusty blurts, bringing the fork to his mouth as he slowly glances around to the rest of the table, "Did I...Did I just say that out loud?"

"You did." Sharon replies quietly.

"Oh, come on. The walls are paper thin here. They may be old, but I think it's romantic." Eve shakes her head, "Okay, it isn't really romantic to me, but...Can't they still be considered newlyweds?"

"You are not helping the situation." She shakes her head to her daughter.

"What do you mean old?" Evelyn raises an eyebrow.

"We will not be doing this at the table." John calls out, glaring to everyone, "I didn't raise a bunch of heathens and I won't have them sitting at my dinner table."

His wife glances to him, reaching a hand out to hold his, "It's okay."

He nods, quickly calming, "Especially with someone so impressionable with us." John nods toward his youngest granddaughter.

Katie grins to the people, "Im-pet-ton-al." She mimics.

Rusty begins to giggle.

"Are you all usually like this?" Julio leans forward, waving around his fork ever so slightly.

"I was wondering the same thing." Tricia nods, "What did I get myself into?" She smirks.

"Talking about inappropriate things at the dinner table?" Evelyn takes another swig of her wine, leaning back in her seat for a moment, "Is there anywhere better to talk about them?" She gives a throaty giggle.

"Everything was fine until Rusty brought up what we all were thinking." John motions to the boy.

"I did not bring it up! Little Miss Impressionable brought it up." Rusty motions to Kate.

"Little Mit-." Kate begins to squirm in her high chair, "Mommy, potty."

"Oh, Thank God. Excuse me." Sharon stands, taking her daughter from the old wooden high chair and dashing her off to the restroom, "Good job telling me you had to go this time." She sits her on the edge of the toilet seat, crouching in front of her to hold her up.

"You not hurting?" The girl swings her legs slightly as she sits there, "Daddy hurt you?"

"No, honey. Absolutely not." She shakes her head, "Daddy would never hurt me or anyone else, baby. We were having special Mommy and Daddy alone time."

"Why yell?" Kate tilts her head to the side, reaching her hand out to trace her mother's features with her finger.

"We were playing a game and we...got excited."

"My pay game nek time?"

"A different game. Sure." Sharon grins to her.

Kate picks her head up when she hears the soft trickle, pumping her arms in the air, "My go potty!"

"Yes, you did." She wipes her daughter, pulling out the stool to help her wash her hands. She grins, "I am so proud of you."

"My get i-ceem?"

"After you finish dinner." Sharon leans over her daughter, helping the girl wash her hands.

"My do it." Kate shakes her head, sloppily rubbing her hands together in an attempt of getting the soap from them.

"Of course because God forbid anyone help you with anything." She motions for the girl to move, "Alright, no playing in the water. Mommy has to wash her hands."

"We pay later?" The girl nods, getting down from the stool and running back to the dining room, she stops before reaching the table, "My go potty!" She yells, pumping her arms into the air again.

Sharon follows her younger daughter after washing her own hands, "Come on, back in the chair." She picks the girl up, holding her on her jean clad hip.

"Good job, Katie," Eve sits back in her seat, clapping her hands, "You know, that's something you can only get away with at that age. If I ran out, did the same thing, you'd all think I was off my rocker again."

"No, we'd clap for you and tell you to sit the hell down." Chad smirks.

"What a good little brother..." She grins to him.

The table falls silent as everyone finishes the food on the plates in front of them. Sharon stands, collecting some of the dishes from the table.

"Mom, I got it." Eve nods, taking some as well.

"I can do it. You shouldn't. Some of these are heavy."

"Then have one of the guys do them."

Slowly they look to one another, smirking, "The guys can do them." Sharon nods, "Andy, Chad, Rusty." She points them out.

"Julio, you help too." Eve smirks, walking toward the sitting area with her mother.

"How do we get roped into this?" Chad groans.

"Because you have great ability." Evelyn smirks, sipping her wine a little more. She looks to her husband, "Help me up?"

John pushes off his chair, smiling to his wife, "Too much to drink?"

She raises an eyebrow, "You have terrible perception."

"How do you figure?"

"My leg is numb and I'd rather not fall over today." Evelyn shakes her head, "Besides, I've only had one glass this entire meal."

"Is it the-" He pauses before wrapping an arm around her.

"Yeah, but it's nothing." She smiles to him, "The glass of wine is to make them think I've had more than enough to drink."

"You've thought this through?"

"Yes, but I actually wanted a glass of wine." Evelyn nods.

John chuckles, "After tonight's dinner? So do I." He helps her from her seat, "Bedroom or where everyone else is?"

"I need to take my medicine. Bedroom?"

"Shooting up?" He slowly walks her toward the stairs.

She nods slowly, "Not a big deal. You go sit with everyone else. I don't want this made bigger than it is. This isn't a thing, Johnny."

"I'm not worried. I believe you." John leans down, kissing his wife softly before walking to the stairs.

Chad leans down, ready to lift more plates from the table as he glances up, seeing his grandparents hobble up the stairs. He sighs, shaking his head as he walks back into the kitchen.


	13. Chapter 13

As the night continues on, one by one, each coupled unit excuses themselves. Sharon lies in bed, watching as her husband finally enters, "What takes you so long?"

Andy smirks, waving his eyebrow, "Why? Couldn't wait for dessert?"

"I'm not hungry for dessert." She shakes her head.

"Oh, now that I want it, you don't have time for my co-" He pauses mid sentence when his wife begins to wave her arm about, signaling for him to quiet, "Oh, come on, these walls aren't that thin."

Kate pushes down the blanket covering her face, "Pize, Daddy!" She yells.

"Okay then." Andy smiles to the girl, "What are you doing in here?"

"Mommy and Katie watch movie." She smirks, "Now, my 'leep in here."

"You have your own bed!" He sits next to the girl.

"My 'leep here." Kate nods, turning to her side and pulling closer to her mother.

"My little monkey." Sharon wraps her arms around the girl, kissing her hair.

"This is not even fair." Andy shakes his head.

"And how isn't it?"

"Because you know I can't deny her anything."

Sharon smirks, "Well, honey, life just isn't fair sometimes." She keeps stroking the girl's auburn brunette hair, "Sometimes your little girl has you wrapped around her finger."

"Sometimes?" He smirks, picking up his pajama pants from the end of the bed, standing and walking toward the bathroom, "You know why I don't like her sleeping in bed with us." Andy replies softly.

"She kicked you there, accidently may I add, once." She watches him.

"Which is why she should be in her crib." He nods, stepping into the bathroom.

Sharon smirks, shaking her head. She glances down to the little girl, still clinging onto her, soon realizing she's sleeping. Noticing her husband come out from the bathroom, "Have you ever thought that maybe I need her too?"

Andy pauses before moving closer to the bed, "Why?"

"She's growing up." She replies simply and softly, "I'm not ready for her to grow up yet."

"Oh, Shar-" He shakes his head, turning down his side of the bed.

"I mean it. She's perfect and beautiful, and growing up at an alarming rate."

"What is bringing this up?" Andy slowly climbs into bed, wrapping his arm around the both of them to gently rub his wife's back.

Sharon swallows, smiling almost sadly, "She doesn't miss a beat. Her smile can melt anyone's heart-"

"Shar-"

"I think every day about how you talked me into keeping her. I think about Rusty doing her feeding at three in the morning because I just got in from work at two and needed to be back at seven. I think about how big your smile was during the ultrasound where you were finally able to see her move. I think about when we told my parents and my father's only response was asking if I was sure." She shrugs, "And now she's going to the bathroom on her own and before we know it, she'll be an angry teenager that neither of us can get through to."

"We'll call Rusty." He moves closer, moving his hand to trace the bones in his daughter's small hand.

"By then he will have his own life with his own children and..."

"You're still his mother, Shar. We're still his parents. That's never going to change." Andy leans over his daughter to softly kiss his wife's lips, "No matter who comes along, they're all always going to be our kids. They're all going to protect one another and love one another. All five of them...six if you count Matthew."

Sharon swallows, looking up at him, "You've never mention Matthew."

"He's...overseas. Stationed overseas. It's bad luck to speak of them until they get home." He sighs, "He's been there for years...I know he'd love the hell out of Katie though."

She nods, "I always wondered if he was just...I don't know...maybe he'd take his mother's side of events as fact."

"He's in covert affairs. I'm unable to send him anything." He shakes his head, reaching over and turning out the light resting on the nightstand, "That's all. I don't want to..."

"It's okay." She reaches a freehand over, stroking his cheek, "I know everyone loves one another. I know we'll all be there for one another, but that doesn't stop our baby from getting older. Our baby, Flynn."

"Miracle baby." Andy smirks.

"I thought for sure because of my age and workload and stress...I thought for sure we'd lose her." She kisses her daughter's hair.

"Believe it or not, I did too." He shrugs a little, "When seven months rolled around, I couldn't be happier. Meant she'd be okay if you went into labor early."

"Yeah." Sharon smiles.

Andy nods, "You know, Shar, I don't think I've ever told you how proud of you I was during all that. How proud I am now."

"What for?"

"You had a lot of shit to put up with. Harassment from the team, angry kids who blamed you for things you had absolutely no control over...a lot of shit." He finds her hand in the dark, bringing it to his lips to kiss her knuckles, "You sailed right through it and you sailed with style. I've never been so honored to call you my wife."

Sharon smirks, "You're going to make me cry."

"Good, that will teach you to force me into things that you know I can't say no to." Andy smirks, laughing softly when she playfully hits him on the arm.

"Well, I hope she does kick you in the balls tonight." She starts to giggle when he turns over, facing away from them, "What are you doing?"

"Protecting the family jewels." Andy chuckles in return.

Sharon starts laughing harder, then attempts to stifle herself as to not wake Kate who is still clinging to her.

"Mommy 'top." Katie mumbles, not exactly helping the situation, only causing her parents to laugh even more.

Eve walks through the hallway, smiling as she hears the laughter coming from her mother and stepfather's room. She bounces down the stairs to get a snack from the kitchen, only to see the fire roaring still and the tree lit. She pauses, the distinct smell of cigarette smoke filling the air as she walks closer to a rocking overstuffed chair. "Gram?" She smirks.

Evelyn glances up to the young woman, "Eve, I didn't hear you come down."

She shrugs, "Why would you?"

"Thought for sure you'd be asleep."

"Well, Julio is snoring and I really want a grilled cheese sandwich."

Evelyn smirks, "Grilled cheese? There are more leftovers in the frigidaire than there is tea in China." She takes hold of the young woman's hand, "And you want a grilled cheese sandwich?"

Eve shrugs, "Yes." She nods, "And you shouldn't smoke in here."

"I'm not going outside. It's fucking cold out there." She stands slowly, "I'll make you a grilled cheese. Come on."

"I can make it myself."

"It's a bribe." Evelyn smirks.

The younger woman giggles a little, "A bribe for what?"

"For you not telling anyone I was smoking." She holds onto the furniture as she walks toward the kitchen.

"I wouldn't tell them anyway. You did it all the time when I was younger." Eve tilts her head to the side, taking notice of her grandmother, "Pretty sure that's why mom's stuffing never turns out right, you accidently drop ashes into the mix."

"That has only happened once or twice...or a few dozen times, but who is counting." Evelyn smirks.

"Leg numb?" She opens the kitchen door for her.

The older woman pauses, "Why?"

"I read up on your type of MS to calm my nerves."

"Yeah?"

"It's a common thing that happens to patients. Sometimes it lasts a day sometimes it lasts a month." Eve shrugs, "Just so you know, I know it isn't fatal anymore, so...I'm relaxed about the whole thing."

"Glad to hear it." She raises an eyebrow pulling out the pan, "Get the cheese, butter, and bread." Evelyn instructs.

She nods, complying quickly, "This is going to be a stupid question-"

"As opposed to your other incredibly intelligent ones-"

"Why did you quit smoking in the first place?" Eve takes a seat on a stool at the breakfast bar.

"Your mother had just told us that she was pregnant with you. She became violently ill anytime she would smell it, even just a little bit. So I quit entirely. Started back up when I forgot I had quit while drinking at a party. Sharon was my designated driver and she was fine, so...that was that."

"Anytime I smell that and coffee mixed together it reminds me of you. I wish they'd bottle that smell."

Evelyn smirks, "Why?" She continues to cook the sandwich.

"It's just childhood to me." Eve shrugs, "Just like grilled cheese sandwiches."

"That's all you would eat. Grilled cheese and buttered toast."

"Both very delicious things."

"Your grandfather and I would try and take you to restaurants, really nice ones, and you would ask for toast. We would pay twenty bucks for two pieces of toasted bread with butter on it."

"Well, knowing I was like that, why didn't you just stay home?" The younger woman tucks her hair behind her ear.

"You were with us a lot while your mother was just starting out on the force. Lord knows your father couldn't be bothered."

"The food thing lasted only until I was about four."

Evelyn nods slowly, "I know it."

"And I wasn't with you guys as much after that...Why?"

"Charlie tried to tell your mother that we were brain washing you since you were with us so much. The alcolism caused him to be irrational and violent. He lashed out at Sharon so much. She caught on to his cheating around that time as well and I think that's how your brother came to be. He was afraid of losing her, as he should be. They should have never wed in the first place, your grandfather never trusted him-"

"Gram-"

"She picked you up once and, I will never forget it, there were fingerprints on her arm. Bright blue fingerprints. She tried to tell me they were from a suspect, but I knew better than that. I did everything in my power not go to his office and shoot him in the face." Evelyn replies angrilly, flipping the sandwich once more, causing the butter to splatter onto her hand, "Damn it." She hisses.

Eve walks back around to her, "Gram, it's okay." She takes her burned hand, "I'm sorry I asked."

"You deserve to know about it, Evey."

"I always knew about it, but he was still my father, sadly, and I had to grin and bare it."

"I gave her a cardigan to wear to cover her arm. I gave her it so John wouldn't find out." She swallows, "He would have demanded she stay with us. He would have hired some guys to take care of Charlie. Everything would have been fine. She would have never gotten the crap beat out of her a few years later...that's how she got that scar above her lip." Evelyn meets her granddaughter's eyes, "To this day, I have never forgiven myself for it."

"I was there." The younger woman nods, "Seems we have three generations of strong women filled with regret."

"Like?"

"Well, you with mom over my father. Mom has never forgiven herself for not protecting me when..." Eve swallows, "And I have never forgiven myself for shielding Chad so much."

"You're his big sister, you're supposed to protect him." Evelyn shakes her head.

"There is a difference between protecting and shielding so much that they don't know the truth." She watches her grandmother, "That's why he didn't speak to mom for months. That's why he missed visiting Katie at the hospital and automatically hated Andy. He had always taken Dad's side. It was like War of the Roses with my parents. Dad would try something and Mom would fight him off or knock him out until he could sleep the alcohol off. Sometimes he overpowered her. Mom would call it idiot strength. I would hide in my room with Chad and turn the music all the way up so he couldn't hear the fighting. He should have seen a little bit of it."

"I never knew she fought back." The older woman's voice grows quiet.

"Of course she did." Eve smirks, "She was raised by a strong woman, as was I, it's what we do. We fight back, even when the chances aren't on our side."

Evelyn nods slowly, hugging her granddaughter tightly, "Eat your fucking sandwich."

The younger woman giggles, "Thanks for the bribe, Gram."

"Anytime." She smirks, tending to the burn on her hand.


	14. Chapter 14

Tricia glances up from her tablet computer, sipping her tea. She nearly spits it out when she sees her mother-in-law, hair akimbo. She giggles a little, "Morning."

Sharon jumps a little, glancing over to her, "I didn't even see you there." She nods, giggling a little to herself, "Good morning."

"Please, don't take this the wrong way, but you have a lot of hair."

"I know." She nods, putting a tea bag into her large mug before pouring hot water from the kettle constantly rests on the stove into it, "My mother always had this long gorgeous hair when I was a kid and she chopped it off when I was about...fifteen. My brother played football and she would run up and down the field with him. She chopped it off because she said it was hindering her ability to run." Sharon smirks, "Last I checked, short hair has nothing to do with how fast a person may or may not run."

"And she kept it short ever since?" The younger woman smirks.

Sharon nods slowly, "She came home and told us not to call our father to tell him what she did." She motions to the other chair at the breakfast table, "Mind if I-"

"Oh absolutely not." Tricia nods, "I insist."

"I haven't exactly had the chance to talk to you much. I apologize for that."

"Mrs. Flynn, really it's..." She shakes her head, "There's been a lot going on. Chad and I showing up this year isn't exactly...We have the rest of our lives. One hectic week is not going to do anything."

"It has been a little hectic." Sharon nods, sitting back in the seat, "Though, I never forget a face."

"I see where this is-"

"Thank you for helping me in the hospital when I had Kate." She smiles, "I wouldn't have made it through if you didn't force me to hold her the first time."

Tricia smirks, "I see Andy spoke to you."

"No, I really don't forget a face. I'm a detective. It's...It's kind of in the job description."

"Well, so is helping patients in mine, but I appreciate the compliment."

"It didn't last long, but the postpartum depression was a bit...it threw me for a loop."

"It does that sometimes." Tricia nods, "I'm glad you got over it."

"As am I." Sharon grins, "And I apologize for insinuating that you and my son only married because you may be with child."

"It's okay-"

"You're a gorgeous girl, I don't want you to think I thought you even looked pregnant, because you do not."

"Neither does your daughter." Tricia shakes her head, "Please, don't worry about it." She smiles, "You guys are very close knit and loving and I think that's awesome. I couldn't have married into a better family."

"I'm glad you feel that way." Sharon grins, "And if Eve carries anything like I did with my pregnancies, she isn't going to show until she's closer to six months. Then, it looks like one had eaten a beach ball overnight."

She nods, "Chad has been completely beside himself this entire trip with the whole thing."

"We all are." The older woman nods, "So, what are your hobbies?"

"Oh, um...with work I'm so busy, I don't really-"

"Neither do I, it was a stupid question." Sharon sighs, "Okay...how did you and Chad meet?"

"I work in the emergency room over the weekend for extra cash and they're usually swamped during that time. The particular time in question, I had been working the ER all week long because they were short staffed. Chad came in with um...with alcohol poisoning and needed his stomach pumped among other things."

"He did?" She leans forward a little, "I had no-"

"It's okay. I'm getting there." Tricia smiles a little, "He told me about his sister being beaten up the day before and... how she was hurt pretty badly and he was so upset about it. He was so angry with himself. He didn't want a big deal made of it or his name written on the board because he knew you were just across the way with Eve and he wanted you to stay with her instead of helping him."

"If I would have known...I could have handled both." Sharon shakes her head, absently bringing her hand to her chest, "My God, I would have done both."

"He asked me to never tell you that story, so..." The young woman nods, "Please don't say anything about it."

"No, thank you for telling me." She reaches across the table, gently touching the young woman's hand, "Thank you."

Tricia smiles to her, "He was out the next night, but...he called the hospital and asked to speak with me. Asked me for my cell number and a date to thank me, which I turned down the latter. He decided to get sober from there on out. We didn't realize our true feelings for one another until we just happened to run into one another at the mall. He still had my number in his phone. Sweet talked me. I was deeply flattered."

"That's a very sweet story." Sharon nods, smiling softly, "So it seems as if you were destined to become part of this family sooner or later. First with Kate and I, then with Chad."

"Something like that."

John pushes through the kitchen door, "I don't have the patience for pancakes, Evelyn. I'm making waffles."

"You hate to cook!" Evelyn follows close behind, "If you want waffles, let me make them."

"I don't hate to cook, I'm just not too great at it, is all." He shakes his head to her.

Sharon slowly turns in her seat to face them, she clears her throat.

John stops, looking toward his daughter, "Hey, baby. Didn't see you there."

"With that morning hair, how could you not?" Evelyn shakes her head, walking past him, "Now, go sit the hell down in in the parlor. I will make breakfast for everyone."

"I can-"

"Go, Johnny. I'm not kidding." She points, sighing when the man retreats. "I swear, sleep an extra half hour and the world implodes."

"I know the feeling." Sharon nods.

"Tricia, do you know how to cook?" Evelyn looks to her, pulling out things from the fridge.

"Only things my grandmother showed me as I was growing up. Your quintessential Black American foods." Tricia smirks.

"What may that be, girl?"

"Fried chicken, greens, ribs...She was from Virginia." She shrugs.

"Well, would you like to learn to make my famous waffles?" Evelyn motions to a cabinet out of her reach, to which the girl follows orders, "Pull that down, good waffle maker here."

"Mom, I can help, if you'd like." Sharon stands, walking over.

"You cook like your father."

"Daddy doesn't cook."

"Exactly." She smirks, "Thank you, girl." Evelyn plays with the waffle maker a little before plugging it in, "Couldn't remember how it worked."

"I could learn though." Sharon pouts.

"There are only two of my children who didn't get my cooking abilities, Sharon and my son."

"Jack burns everything."

"Jack is an idiot." Evelyn smirks, "Okay, Tricia. It's better when hand mixed...which is what I'm going to have you do." She pulls over the big bowl, putting all the ingredients, "And my special secret ingredient-"

"Vanilla." Sharon mumbles.

"Vanilla." The older woman nods, putting it in the bowl, "Go ahead and mix." She smirks.

Tricia continues to watch the women.

"I can cook some things now. Rusty has been teaching me on the weekends when he visits." Sharon nods.

"Someone had to. You were always too flighty when I tried to teach you." Evelyn folds her arms, "What has the boy taught you?"

"I am now able to make different soups and stews, quiche-"

"Are you not a good cook, Mrs. Flynn?" Tricia grins.

Sharon shrugs, "I can cook things..." She smirks, "And, please, it's Sharon."

Evelyn smirks, "She can cook things...like toast."

"My mother was never a cook either." Tricia shakes her head, smiling, "So don't feel too bad."

"I don't feel bad. I do other things better than she does." Sharon walks past them, "I need to go get Kate moving. Excuse me." She grins more, walking through the connecting doorway, then jogging up the staircase when she reaches it.

"My asked him for swimmy Barbie." Kate nods, looking to the computer screen.

"Barbie can swim now?" A male voice asks.

"Barbie can go in the baff tub or in the pool-"

"You don't have a pool, Katie!"

The girl giggles, "Do too! A little one at home."

Sharon listens intently by the door, leaning against the wall as to not bring attention of her daughter.

"It's big enough for your Barbie?"

"Yes, and my ducky and his friend-"

"Ducky has a friend?"

Kate nods, "Another ducky...his name is Hank."

"Your duck's name is Hank?"

"Ducky friend is Hank."

Sharon begins to giggle, putting her hands to her mouth in a vain attempt to quiet herself.

Kate glances to the doorway, smiling, "Hi, Mommy."

She looks in, "Who are you talking to, Katie?" She smiles.

The young girl points to the screen, "Unk' Louie." She nods.

"Lieutenant Provenza, Merry Christmas." Sharon smirks, stepping into the room and folding her arms, "How are things?"

"Knock on wood, they're strangely quiet, Captain." Provenza nods, slipping his glasses to the top of his head.

"Lieutenant Sanchez never mentioned anything, so I just assumed-"

"Julio is there?" He raises an eyebrow, smirking.

Sharon nods, "Yes. Arrived a few days ago." She grins, "And don't act so innocent. I know you knew he was coming here."

"I suspected, but I didn't know for sure. He asked for some time off to deal with personal issues. I can't deny him or say he's lying." Louie nods, "Everything is alright though?"

"I guess." She smirks, "Everyone is going a little stir crazy, but nothing too difficult to deal with."

"Katie and I were discussing her Christmas list. Isn't that right?"

Katie nods, "Unk' Louie said he and Aunt Lizard have presents too."

"Aunt Lizard?" Sharon smirks, glancing to the laptop screen with a raised eyebrow.

"It's funny." Provenza nods, "Liz is crazy when they're little. All the grandkids are a little older now, so she likes to spoil Kate. Just let her."

"I suppose that'd be okay." She nods, "I was just coming up to make sure you were awake. Does Rusty know you are on his computer?"

"Didn't touch nuffin'." The little girl looks up to her mother with her hazel green eyes.

"I never said you did." Sharon kisses her daughter's hair, "Get downstairs. Lieutenant, I'm sure we'll make it a point to call tomorrow night."

"I look forward to it, Captain." Provenza grins.

"Goodbye." She closes the laptop, following her daughter from the room.


	15. Chapter 15

The house bubbles with excitement. Finally, Christmas day. The wrapping paper torn to shreds and toys stacked nicely under the tree. Obvious the most gifts would go to the real reason for Christmas, to the children, to Kate Flynn.

"Only one multiple out of the whole bunch." Julio slowly looks over the toys and games the little girl had acquired, "I can't believe all these things."

"This is nothing. There's still the stuff Louie got her, and the things we got. All of this will have to be shipped back home." Andy smirks, "It's to the damn ceiling. Think she's spoiled?"

"She deserves it all." He sits next to his friend, "How do you get them home?"

"Oh, well, tomorrow we'll be up for hours fitting things into large boxes to ship them home." The older man nods slowly.

"I have a better idea."

"Shoot."

"I drove. Since I'll be staying as long as...the snow stays this high, it might be cheaper to rent a U-Haul. We can hook it to my car and I can drive it back for you." Julio nods.

"That's a great idea. Are you sure though?" Andy smirks.

"Yeah, least I can do for my boss's daughter...daughters..."

"You have to worry about staying on Eve's good side now." The older man nods slowly, "Being nice to Katie means that happens easily."

Julio shrugs, "I'd do it anyway. Your daughter is pretty much the department's kid." He grins.

"There was no getting around that, was there..."

"Nope." He stands, walking over to study the variety of gifts once more, "I talked to Tao this morning. I forgot they're an hour behind. He and his wife bought Kevin a new car."

"Damn, didn't think he had it in him." Andy smirks.

"A nice two door."

The older man continues to watch him, he can't help but smile even more, "You know, this is how it's going to be for you next year."

Sanchez shakes his head slowly, "That's all I can think about."

"And you're forever part of this goofy ass family."

Julio nods, "I'm glad."

"Did you ask her to marry you again?" Andy pushes off of his chair, walking next to the other man to look at the gifts as well.

"Hell no. That's what made her run off in the first place. I told her that I loved her and she ran." He shakes his head slowly, "I'm not testing it again. I can't...I can't do that to myself."

"Or your kid." He grins.

Rusty sits with Mac in the mudroom, the back door propped open as he smokes a cigarette. "This is just crazy now. We've never been trapped inside so long." He shakes his head, "I can't even see above the fucking door anymore. How is that even possible."

Mac shakes her head, glancing around, "I love it...I want to play in it, but it's too high-"

"You want to play in it? Are you five?"

"No, but you don't want to make a bunch of snowmen with Katie or just...make some snow angels?"

Rusty shrugs, "If I wasn't stuck inside the house for six days, I might want to, but here we've been and we're not set to leave until the day after new year's whether we like it or not."

"You don't think they'd let us go into town or something if the snow melts?" Mac folds her arms, pulling down her coat from the rack and covering herself with it in an attempt to keep warm, "Even more, Do you think all this fucking snow is just going to randomly melt in a day?"

"We're here for five more days and...I'm going to be insane when I go back to school." He leans down at the waist, resting his elbow on his knee as he bounces it with his toes, "I miss school. Who the hell says they miss school."

"You just did." She leans back, "My brother sent me an email this morning. He has access to a computer now." She smirks, "Isn't that great?"

Rusty nods slowly, "Did he have to say anything good?"

"He'll be coming home either next month or the month after." Mac glances toward the door leading to the outside, "I haven't told Dad yet because I don't know if Matt will visit him."

He glances up, "Does he know about Kate and how badly your mother treated you because of her husband?"

"It's Christmas. I didn't-"

"You need to tell him, Mac. You need to tell him that you're a lesbian and because of it, your mother abandoned you and kicked you out. You need to tell him that you spent months in an institution because your mother."

Mac shakes her head, "This isn't the time for that. Let me...let me just be happy that my brother sent me an email."

Rusty nods, "At least tell him that he has another sister..." His voice quiet, "He deserves that."

"He's hasn't been able to have any contact with us for three years...with anyone." She swallows, nodding, "I'll let him know."

"And at least tell him that you're not living with your mother. Let him question it. The rest of the stuff...the dirty story, it can wait, but let him question it."

"You're right." Mac responds, her voice quiet.

Rusty snuffs out his cigarette, tossing it into the snow via the back door. "The last thing I'd want is for him to call your mother and listen to her religious, hateful bullshit...the last thing I'd want is for her to ruin it for you." He touches her arm as he walks past, back to the living room.

She waits a moment before following him into the other room, "Dad."

Andy glances over toward his daughter, smiling ever so slightly as he and Julio continue to look at the tree, "Yeah, baby?"

Mac swallows, folding her arms behind her back, "I got an email this morning from Matt." She smiles softly.

"What?" He begins to grin, "How is he? Is he alright?" Andy shakes his head.

She nods, "He's great. I'm going upstairs to write him back about Kate..." She pauses, then looks into her father's eyes, "He's gone black for three years. I don't think he knows about Kate and I can only imagine what Mom may tell him."

Her father leans in, wrapping his arms around her, "This is the greatest Christmas gift, Mac. Thank you."

Though not usually affectionate, Mac leans her head onto her father's chest, returning his hug, "I've missed him a lot...I thought he might have been dead and no one wanted to tell me." A tear trickles down the teenager's cheek.

"Did he say if he was coming home?"

She nods, "Month...two months...He said he's coming back soon."

"Yeah." Andy grins, "I can't wait to see him..." He knows that the young man may not want to.

_A young Andy Flynn sits on the steps leading up to the house he shares with his wife and two children. His brunette hair shaking in the breeze, he closes his eyes, picking his head up. He relapsed and he hated himself for it._

"_Dad?" Seven year old Matthew Flynn holds his backpack against his shoulder. He glances to his friends that he usually took this beat with every day to return home from school, "Dad, what are you doing here?"_

"_I lost my keys."_

_The boy shakes his head, "You and mom are...Dad, you've been divorced for years." He glances around, hearing his other school mates laugh, "Dad, go home."_

"_This is my home! I fucking paid for it." He slurs, "I just lost my key."_

_Matt stomps up to the house, "Go home!" He screams at the man, opening the door and slamming it behind him before his father even has the chance to stand._

Andy swallows, closing his eyes as he thinks back to the experience, "Everything will be fine, baby. He'll be thrilled to see you."

Mac grins, nodding, "Yeah, I think so too. It's the best Christmas present I've ever gotten, I think."

"Me too." He kisses the top of his daughter's head, "Hey, if Sharon comes around here looking for me, tell her I'm-" He begins to walk towards the stairs.

"Upstairs watching the game. I know." She nods slowly, "Dad-"

Andy pauses, his foot on the bottom step. He turns around to look at her, "Yeah?"

"He loves you too." Mac smiles sweetly before watching her father ascend the staircase.


	16. Chapter 16

Andy lies in bed, flipping through the channels on the flat panel television at the foot of the bed, it would rise up from what appeared to be a chest when one pressed the power button. He sighs, catching a football game from some twenty years ago.

Sharon slinks through the door, walking over to the dresser and glancing back to him through the large mirror, "You okay?" When she doesn't receive a response, she steps over to the bed, touching his hand that is resting on top of the television remote, "Andy-"

"Huh?" He snaps out of it a little bit, looking to her, "Hey, I didn't see you come in."

"This isn't a new game. The Eagles haven't worn that color in years. She slowly sits next to him, "You okay?"

Andy takes a deep breath, smirking to her, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Your daughter is impossible to put down for a nap."

"Just like her mother." He pats the bed a little, "Come on."

Sharon raises an eyebrow, "Apparently you didn't learn your lesson last time."

"I just want to hold you."

She shakes her head, "Andy, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

"Mac said Matt emailed her this morning." Andy gently lets his hand rest against the small of his wife's back.

Sharon shakes her head, starting to smile, "Why are you here then?"

He swallows, "I relapsed when Matt was seven...he's hated me ever since."

"Ah."

"Yes, so though he may be excited to see Mac and speak to her, I highly doubt he'll feel the same way about me." Andy shakes his head, fixing his eyes onto the television, "I want him to at least know about Kate before he chooses not to-"

"Andy, the military changes people. He may realize now that anger toward you isn't necessarily the best solution to life. Maybe he's forgiven you." Sharon slowly climbs over him, lying down next to him as to hold onto him, "It was a long time ago." She places her head onto his stomach, watching the game with him.

He casually brings his hand to her hair, stroking gently, "Not long enough."

"Maybe send him an email since he's able to get them now. He may not want it, but at least he'll know you care. At least he'll know you're thinking about him."

Andy smirks slightly, "I want him to be a part of our family, just like the rest of them. Our motley crew."

"I do too." Sharon grins, "I want Katie to know that she has a big brother who is an American hero. I want her to know that he loves her very much and can't wait to meet her. That's what I want to be able to tell our little girl."

"Maybe she can go with Mac to pick him up when he gets back." Andy smirks.

"I'm sure they'd both love that. We can send Rusty to help as well." She can't help but chuckle a little, "We have this all planned out and we have no idea when he's arriving."

He nods, "We'll find out. Mac will tell me, probably."

"Fine." Sharon leans up, kissing his lips softly as she rests in his arms.

Katie slowly opens the door to the room she has been calling her own since the start of her vacation. She glances up and down the hall, checking for anyone before she opens the door to her sister's room.

"I'm surprised you were able to do this." Mac grins to the face on the laptop screen.

The young man nods, "Me too. You look fantastic, Mac. All grown up."

"It's been three years. Things change...people change."

"Yeah."

Katie finally walks in more, "Who dit?" She tilts her head to the side.

"Oh." Mac swallows, "Matt, I want you to meet someone really important." She lifts the girl up onto the bed. "This is Katie."

"Hi Katie." Matt waves to her, grinning, "Are you babysitting?"

"No. She's our sister."

The smile from the young man's face begins to fall, "I don't understand..."

"It's a long story, but...well... This is our sister."

Matt shakes his head slowly, laughing almost bitterly, "Leave it to Andy Flynn to find happiness where he doesn't deserve it."

"Yes, he did. Mom got remarried and kicked me out. Sharon is great and so is Katie."

"I'm betting she's my age? The new wife?"

Mac shakes her head slowly, "Couple years younger than Dad. You'd really like her. They're perfect for one another."

"Couple years younger-" He pauses, "And she had a kid?"

"Yeah." She grins as her sister leans over, trying to look at the young man, "Katie, that's our brother Matt."

Katie giggles, "I have anodder brodder? I have more dan two?"

"You have more than two, yes." Mac nods, "Matt is a marine."

"What dat mean?" The toddler sits on her sister's lap, studying the young man in front of her.

"It means I fight in the war." Matt can't help but smile, "She doesn't look like us, Maccy."

"Nah." Mac shakes her head, "She looks like Sharon, there's no doubt about that."

"Can you tee me when I do dit?" Katie scrunches her face up, pulling at her ears.

"Of course." Matt nods.

"And dit?" She makes another, sticking her tongue out and squeezing her nose.

"Okay, I get it. She's our sister." He smirks, "Did you talk to mom?"

"Matt, I don't talk to Mom anymore. At all. She kicked me out, remember?" Mac shakes her head slowly.

"What the hell could she possibly kick you out for?" Matt shakes his head.

She bites her lip, "You know how her husband is crazy religious..."

"It was never an issue before-"

"Matt, I'm gay." Mac tilts her head down, expecting her brother to yell at her since he had always taken their mother's side when they were young, "He said I was influencing his kids, but...I never once brought a single girlfriend around there and Mom is the one that told him."

"Some of the women are in my battalion. It's...It isn't surprising, but I still wasn't expecting it." Matt replies quietly, just watching his sisters through the screen. They look happy. He smiles softly, "Hey, I got to go, but...next time I'm able to do this, get Dad?"

Feeling the familiar sting of hot tears fill her eyes, Mac nods slowly, "Yeah, I will." She knew it meant a lot for her brother to ask for their father and since he didn't seem at all irrational about the whole thing, she can only assume it may actually be a good thing.

"Bye, Matt!" Katie climbs from her sisters lap, running to her parents room, "I have anodder brodder!" She yells, climbing onto the bed and jumping on it even though her mother had been resting, "Anodder brodder!"

Andy glances to his rambunctious toddler daughter and raises an eyebrow, "What?"

"Hit name is Matt." She nods, leaping onto her father, "And he look like you."

The older man chuckles, raising an eyebrow, "Tell me more about him."

"I taw him on the laptop and he talk to me and he wat nice." Kate nods.

"No, I wasn't sleeping or anything." Sharon mumbles, sitting up on the bed.

"Wait you talked to him?" Andy sits up as well, "What do you mean you talked to him?"

"Like I talk to Unk' Louie." The girl smirks, "He had to go dough."

"Matt had to go?"

She nods, "He will call later. He want to talk to you."

Sharon grins, "See?" She reaches out, gently patting her husband's leg as she yawns, "I told you that people change over time."

Andy nods slowly, kissing the top of the little girl's head, "So, what did you think of your big brother?"

"He 'trong." Kate folds her arms up to show off her nonexistent muscles, "And he look ju't like Daddy."

"Hmmm. That sounds promising." Sharon smirks, raising an eyebrow, "Does he sound like Daddy, Katie?"

The girl glances to her mother and shrugs, "Little bit." She smirks.

Sharon leans over, kissing her husband softly, "I should be getting up anyway." She swings her legs off the side of the bed, standing, and putting things in the laundry hamper.

"For what? We were comfortable!" Andy watches his wife closely.

"Because it's Christmas and I'm up here napping with you."

"You're allowed to nap."

"Nap are dumb." Kate makes a face, listening to her parents.

"We aren't having this discussion again, Katie." Sharon shakes her head, "Now, do you want to come downstairs and play with some of your toys before we need to pack them up?"

"No pack yet, Mommy." The young girl pouts and outstretches her arms toward her mother.

Sharon rolls her eyes, taking the girl in her arms then against her hip. She leans down once more, giving Andy a soft kiss on the lips, "We'll be downstairs if you need us." She smirks to him before walking out the doorway.


	17. Chapter 17

"It's starting to clear up out here." Eve pulls her mother's sweater closer around herself as she folds her arms. She squints her eyes from the high saturation of color due to the high snow.

Evelyn loops her arm through her granddaughter's, nodding slowly, "The roads are still shit. They're usually pretty good with clearing that." She looks to the younger woman, patting her bicep, "We should get you inside. You'll catch your death out here."

"It isn't that cold out here. The snow insulates everything." She smirks.

The older woman, keeps rubbing the younger's arm, "That sweater was once mine, you know."

"I didn't know that, actually." Eve grins more, "What happened?"

"Your parents were at the house and it was autumn sometime. Actually, it was the day they visited to tell us they were expecting you. We were sitting on the porch. She was chilled to the bone. Pregnancy never agreed with her...with you and your brother at least. Kate, it sounds like, was a dream until the end. Sick every day. I think because she was always so tiny...so slim, you know?" She shakes her head slowly, "But she still loved it-"

"Yes, but what about the sweater?"

"We were on the porch and she was freezing her ass off, wasn't even that cold out. Asked to use it while she was there, never gave it back. It was alright. It's comfortable."

"That it is."

Evelyn grins, "She didn't name you after me for nothing."

Eve shakes her head, glancing down to her short grandmother, "Because of the sweater?" She smirks.

The older woman chuckles a little, nodding slowly, "Yeah, because of the sweater." Evelyn replies sarcastically then motions the girl inside, still holding onto her arm as they move to the door.

"Yes, Mr. Rooney, It should be working on a minute." Julio nods to the old man, "Hopefully."

"Johnny, Julio is our guest." Evelyn shakes her head, letting go of the young woman's arm, to step over to her husband, "You shouldn't make him try to fix anything."

John raises an eyebrow, slowly glancing to his wife, "It's just a pocket watch and from what I hear, he is family, so...he is not our guest."

Julio glances between the pair, then Eve, who was now bright red. "Thank you, Sir. I'm almost finished though. It's no trouble, Mrs. Rooney."

"My husband has a way of forcing people to do things at less than...opportune times, if you know what I mean." Evelyn places a hand on his back, "Thank you, Julio." She says again.

Sharon glances over, noticing her daughter's discomfort over the entire situation. She stands, walking over and taking her elder daughter by the hand, gently guiding her to where she was sitting on the floor, "Do you still like puzzles?"

"I do them when I have time to do them." Eve nods, glancing to the rest of the crowd a moment before leaning over to her mother, "Thank you." She whispers in her ear, afraid of...well, she honestly doesn't know what.

"I'm your mother. I'll always be there to save you." Sharon nods, a smirk slowly forming across her face, "Even from awkward social situations."

"Still." Eve sighs, looking at the large box and the large amount of oddly shaped toys to fit into it, "This should actually be pretty easy."

"It is. Most of them are in boxes." Sharon motions toward her younger daughter's direction, who was on the floor with a couple Barbie dolls. She looks the young woman up and down, "I thought I stole that sweater back."

"I didn't know this was stolen by you in the first place." The young woman raises an eyebrow, smiling.

Her mother begins to laugh, "She told you I stole it?"

"And named me after her because of the comfort said sweater offered you during your difficult pregnancy with me." Eve smirks, helping her mother gently place the toys into the large box.

"I did name you after her, only because I was afraid of what she'd do to me if I didn't." Sharon giggles softly, then shakes her head, "No, she's always been one of my heroes."

"Must run in the family."

"What?"

"A daughter considering her mother to be her hero." Eve smiles softly, looking to her mother.

Sharon pauses, glancing up to her daughter, "I'm..." She places a hand over her chest, "Thank you, Evey. That means the world to me."

"I know what you sacrificed for Chad and I, I know what you went through with Dad, I know the hoops you had to jump through to protect Rusty, and...even what you went through for Katie. I'm glad you've found happiness. If anyone, you deserve it most."

She nods slowly, moving to her elder daughter and finally taking her into a tightly gripped hug.

"Are the two of you crying again?" John makes a face, watching his daughter and granddaughter.

Evelyn hits his arm, "Leave the girls alone."

"What do you mean again, Dad?" Sharon mumbles loud enough for him to hear from where she's standing, kissing her daughter's cheek, "You're one of my heroes too, Evey. You struggled more than I ever did in such a short amount of time...You didn't deserve all that happened to you."

"If it didn't, who knows where I'd be. Probably still with Michael...unknowing...unaware of what he was doing not only to himself, but to his family. I had no idea until DDA Hobbs told me."

"Yes, Andrea is a great ally and friend. She helped your case a great deal. I owe her for that." Sharon continues to hold onto her daughter.

"Do you two want a room or..." Chad glances over, watching a football game on the large screened television in the living room.

"Yeah, a fucking room, Carlos." Eve finally breaks apart from her mother to hit her brother on the side of the head, playfully.

"Hey, hands to yourselves and why do I need to tell my twenty-something year old children this..." Sharon shakes her head toward the two of them, going back to the large box of toys.

"Can't hit nobody." Kate shakes her head, smirking to her sister, "Or you'll go to jail."

"Have you been there before, Katie? Got to be friends with a girl named Bernice who only had about...four teeth-" Chad raises an eyebrow, "Orange probably looks really nice on you."

"Don't tease her about things she's too young to know about." Eve shakes her head at their brother, "Orange would probably look terrible on her."

"Could you all quiet down, please?" Sharon's eyes shifted between her children.

"At least let me put a bandaid on it." Rusty kept on his step-sister's heels as they jogged down the stairs.

"I don't need a fucking band aid, Rusty. Go away." Mac raises her voice to him.

"What's going on?" Sharon turns from the box, looking between the two.

"Nothing." The young woman mumbles.

Rusty shakes his head, "It's not nothing. She fell in my room and hit her head on the dresser. Tripped over my shoes, I think."

"How many times have I told you about putting your shoes away?" Sharon gently moves the girl's hand from her head, looking at the gash, she hisses, "That could use a couple stitches."

Chad glances over, "I think Tricia has some butterfly things in her first aid kit. Want me to get it?" He stands.

"Yes, please." The older woman nods again, then look to the girl, offering a smile, "You tripped over his shoes?" She watches her older son jog up the stairs.

"Yeah." Mac grumbles, "This is so dumb. I was having a good day."

"I'm sorry, hon." Sharon smiles to her.

"It's okay." She shrugs, "What can ya do about it?"

"Exactly."

Rusty sighs, "I'm going to play with Kate." He walks past the woman, sitting in front of the little girl.

Chad jogs back down the stairs, holding out what he went up to get.

Sharon smiles to her son, "Thank you." She nods, "Your eyes are starting to bruise, I think you might have a concussion." She glances to the boy sitting on the floor, "Rusty, when she fell, did she get up right away?"

Rusty picks his head up, shaking it, "No, she was out a couple minutes. She hit the thing pretty hard."

"Why didn't you come and get one of us?"

"She's my best friend. I wasn't about to leave her side." He picks up the small brush and pulls it through the doll's thin blonde hair.

"Andy was right across the hall." Sharon shakes her head, touching the girl's shoulder, "Let's get you some ice."

"There's frozen peas in there. Give that to her." John nods, watching everything occurring to his family, "They're better to...spread over the contours of your face. Come on." He stands, leading the girl toward the kitchen

Sharon sighs, running a hand through her hair as the girl follows her father.

"Thank God. That man becomes more of a pain in the ass every year. I'm sorry he's made you do all this, Julio. Really." Evelyn nods, sitting near the man.

"Ma'am, really. I don't mind." Julio shakes his head, "I don't know if I was the best one to do this though. I know weapons, not wristwatches."

"Is that what you do for the LAPD? You're a weapons expert?"

"Something like that." He smirks, "It's what I'm interested in, but I do whatever the Captain requires me to do."

"Well," Evelyn nods, adjusting her legs as she sits in the seat, "She is your boss. I suppose you have to."

"Some of the guys weren't so...welcoming of the Captain when she was assigned to our division. She'd proven her worth to me many times before that. I swear, I've never seen someone shoot a suspect square between the eyes with a beanbag gun until the Captain did. It was crazy." Julio chuckles to himself, thinking back to the incident.

"She shot someone in the head?" She glances toward her daughter, then back to the man.

He nods, "With a bean bag shotgun. Just to knock him out...stun him. Worked. He was about to walk into a crowded fair. We wouldn't have been able to apprehend him as easily if he did." Julio slowly glances toward the older women, "She's done a great deal with our department and the people within it. Kate means a lot to us all as well."

"Rusty tells me that my youngest granddaughter is the department's mascot." Evelyn grins.

"She is." Julio nods, attempting to focus on the watch still, "Provenza was talking about getting her a uniform in her size. That man is crazy about her.

"Provenza...her godfather?"

"Yeah. Provenza and his wife...they like her more than their own grandkids, I think."

"Katherine wasn't exactly expected, so...maybe it has something to do with that. Lieutenant Provenza seems like a nice man." She tilts her head to the side.

"He's alright. Has a soft spot for kids though. He and Flynn are best friends."

"I see." Evelyn smiles softly, "Thank you for coming up this week. Evey would have been fine without you, but I believe you're in better standing with her now."

Julio shrugs, "We have a little bit of a history, Ma'am."

"Which I find funny considering you're closer in age to her mother than you are her. What the hell could you possibly have in common with my granddaughter, Lieutenant?"

He pauses, looking over to her. He knew the harshness of the woman's words were only her concern and without any sort of animosity, "I fell in love with her the first day I saw her." Julio keeps his words low so the others can't hear him. "Not at the crime scene, but when Flynn brought her to the station."

The woman shivers slightly, knowing the crime scene he was referring to and how her granddaughter was violated, "Was it..." She pauses attempting to find the words. She never spoke of what happened to the girl. It hurt too much to know, "The crime scene...Was it bad?"

"I've...It was pretty bad, yes, ma'am. I've seen many things as a detective, but that was something else entirely." He finally finishes the watch, slowly screwing it back together, "If the guy wasn't dead, I would have killed him myself. He hurt her pretty badly physically, but even...even worse emotionally."

"So she came to you when..."

"Oh." He sits back slowly, "Policeman's Ball. It's a party the department has to raise funds for families of officers killed in the line of duty, also their retirement. Formal, sit down dinner. Dancing with a band after. She came with Rusty. She was...She looked beautiful."

Evelyn nods slowly, "Why shouldn't I believe you're just some old man who wants some young girl?"

"I'm not..." He smirks, "What makes you think she isn't some young girl who likes older guys?"

"Fair." She smiles to him, reaching over to pat his arm gently, "Thank you for taking care of her again."

"Mrs. Rooney, I wouldn't have it any other way." Julio shakes his head, offering her a slight smile.


	18. Chapter 18

Sharon lies on the bed, watching her husband as he sleeps. She slowly reaches a hand over to stroke a thumb against the hair of his temple. She knew the possibility of reconnecting with Matthew Flynn terrified the man. She knew he always felt like such a failure when it came to his children. Mac had proven to him that she didn't care, but Matthew held a grudge. With good reason, she's sure. Three years is a long time to have no contact with anyone, especially one's child.

Andy slowly opens his eyes, realizing quickly that she was watching him. He doesn't know what to say or if he should say anything. She looks worried, he thinks. She looks the same way she did when he was in a hospital bed having a heart attack.

"Hey." She says softly, moving a little closer to him, "You've been in bed all day, babe...you okay?" Sharon bites the corner of her mouth. This is what he looks like when he's depressed, she says to herself. She knows her husband could never say those words, but she knows it is what he is feeling.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just uh...just needed some quiet today is all." He wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"But it was Christmas. The first one Katie would remember, maybe." Her voice soft and worrisome. "You ate breakfast, watched her open gifts, and then came up here." Sharon shakes her head slowly, "Are you sure you feel okay?" She couldn't help but place her head over his chest, her ear listening to his steady heartbeat.

"I swear I'm fine, Shar." Andy nods, "Did you get everything into the box?"

"Yes. There weren't as many as I thought...still a lot, but just not as many." Sharon nods, "The trick will be finding room for them in her bedroom."

He brings his hand up, absently massaging her scalp, "I've been thinking about it. What if we start looking for a new place?"

"What?"

"The other kids are grown, sure, but we still have Katie and then a grandchild soon." Andy offers her a smile, "Just a few extra bedrooms, Shar. Nothing too crazy."

Sharon stays still a few moments, thinking of her life in that small bungalow and how greatly she had built it up from the simpleness of what it was before. She had raised three children there and some of a fourth, but she wanted them to all visit, "Mac could move in with us. Eve is going to need the extra room."

"Eve has a three bedroom apartment, she's fine when it comes to room, but I'd love to have both of my girls back under my roof." He nods slowly, "We can start looking when we get back home?"

She clears her throat before nodding, "It will be hard letting the bungalow go."

"No one says you need to let it go. It's a great place." He shrugs, "You told me once that it was payed off, right? We could keep it for when your parents visit. Buy a bigger place nearby."

A smile creeps across the woman's face as she nods again, "I love that idea. I love the decoration of it all. Since I love the way the bungalow is decorated now, I haven't wanted to change it."

"Well, now you can." Andy smiles, "You can do Kate's room, guest bedroom, our bedroom. I have faith in you. Your taste is amazing. I mean, I can see why you picked me to be with...you have amazing taste."

Sharon playfully hits his arm, giggling softly, "Flatter yourself."

"Had nothing to do with that love business, had to do with my good looks and charm."

"Here we go." She rolls her eyes, leaning her head up to kiss him softly. She sighs, breaking away from him when there is a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Andy calls out.

"Dad, it's me." Mac replies, biting her lip nervously as she carries her iPad in her hands, "Can I open the door?"

"Yeah, kid. Come in." He smirks, lying comfortably with his wife. Andy reaches up, turning on the bedside lamp next to him with a pull of a beaded cord. He watches his daughter enter when the door opens, "What's up?"

"Oh, well, um..." She was just as nervous as her father about the man talking to her brother. She knows her brother has always displayed some pent up animosity toward their father, "Matt wanted me to bring him to you when he was able to call again so-"

"Hurry the hell up, Mac." Matt growls from the screen.

"He's on there now?" Andy's eyes widen.

Sharon grins, sitting up, "I should give you some-"

"No, stay." He shakes his head, reaching out for the tablet as he sits up.

Mac smiles, handing her father the tablet computer.

Andy looks to his son on the screen. His dark black hair and brown eyes were reminiscent of his father at the same age, "Son." He nods to him.

"Heard you've been busy since I've been out." Matt smirks slightly, "Just three years and you've created this whole-"

"A lot can happen in a few years." He nods.

"Does your new wife know how much of a bastard you really are?"

"Matt, I-"

Sharon makes a face, sliding over next to her husband, "If you knew anything about your father, Matthew, you'd know he's a kind and gentle man. You'd know he's the most loving person in the world."

"You must be the new wife." Matt studies the woman through the laptop screen, "Older than I thought you'd be. Dad was notorious for dating high schoolers."

"That happened one time and she was eighteen." Andy sighs, his courage defeated almost, "I didn't know."

"That kid is cute though. I'll give you that." He nods.

"That 'kid' is your sister whether you like it or not." Sharon places her hand on her husband's thigh, offering encouragement, "Regardless of your past with your father, she's still your sister."

Matt watches the woman. There was something about her that caused him to know she wouldn't lie to protect his father and that if his father were to step out of line, she'd get him back on track. "Alright." He smirks, "Mac said she looked like you, she was right."

Andy watches his son. He knows the hostility the young man displays was caused only by him, "You'd like her, Matt." He wasn't sure if he was speaking of his wife or his youngest daughter at that point. Maybe he didn't want to clarify. He wants to see where his son's mind goes.

The young man stares at Sharon a moment. The woman was unafraid, ready to stand by his father regardless of what had happened in his past, "Yeah, probably." He nods slowly.

He smirks, "How have they been treating you there?"

"That's classified information." Matt smiles, "Alright, I guess."

"Good. Your mother never gave me any kind of address to send things. I wanted to."

"It's alright. She didn't have one." He shrugs, "So, Sharon, you got any kids besides my sister?"

Sharon smiles softly, "Two others. Girl and a boy."

"They young?"

"Well, I consider them young, but Eve is twenty-six, Chad is a few years younger than that."

Matt raises an eyebrow, "She look like you?"

"In some ways, I suppose." Sharon grins, slowly taking her glasses off because of the glare caused by the tablet screen.

"Only thing she has different are her eyes and hair." Andy mumbles, rolling his eyes, "She acts like her, sounds like her, even walks like her."

Matt nods, "I look forward to meeting her." He smirks.

"I bet." Sharon nods.

"You'll tell me everything when I come back home?" He watches between them, "What happened between Mom and Mac too?" He watches his father, "And why she was kicked out?" He knew exactly how awful the experience was, but it helped him know that his sister had to realize exactly who she could trust.

"You want to know that now or when you get home? The bit about Mac..." Andy holds Sharon's hand, rubbing his thumb against the backside of it, almost tracing her veins.

"Now." Matt reaches a hand up to scratch his dark stubble.

"When your mother's husband found out that your sister's a lesbian, he said she was brainwashing his children into being gay as well. Your mother not only took his side, but said that there was something mentally wrong with your sister and she should be institutionalized. Mac attempted suicide and committed herself." He pauses, watching the screen still, "Now, I know you've helped your mother through things…with me, but...she isn't who she used to be. She's..." Andy shrugs, "Look, I'm not saying not to talk to her, that's your mother and I wouldn't ever say that, I'm saying think about your sister before you do and watch what you say about her. Mac wants no parts of your mother."

Matt listens to his father intently, nodding slowly, "I didn't know."

"Well, now you do." He sighs.

"If it means anything, Matt, Mac is amazing now. She's going to therapy...living with my daughter, on the honor roll at St. Joseph's. She's doing great." Sharon nods to him, seeing the anguish in his face , knowing it's because he wasn't there to help her or defend her. "She'll be happy to see you when you get home. We all will."

"Yeah, me too." Matt smiles softly to her.

"And Katie hasn't shut up about the fact that she has another brother." She grins, running a hand through her thick hair.

"I can't wait to meet her in person...You either, Sharon. Thank you for taking care of my family."

"It's my family too, I wouldn't have it any other way." Sharon smirks to him.

Andy remains silent, watching them interact. His son being away was hard for him as it was. He was glad the young man would talk to him again though. That's all that matters.

Matt nods, glances to his right, then sighs, "Look, I got to go. "

He nods, "I love you, son." It was the first time he felt comfortable admitting it to the angry young man in years, "I do."

"Yeah...love you too, Dad." He replies slowly, turning off his connection.

Sharon gently liftes the gadget from his hands and places it on the bedside table as her husband watches her, "Kate was right. He does look like you."

Andy lifts her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles softly, "That's the first time he has said that in fifteen years...and has said it without someone telling him to say it...even longer.

Tears shimmer in her eyes as she leans up, kissing him softly, "Feel better?"

"He...maybe he'll give it a chance? Give me a chance?"

"I think so, yes." Sharon watches him, reaching up to stroke his cheek. She has never seen him like this, not even when he had his heart attack, "He's coming home, Andy."

"I thought he died over there and his mother was just too bitter...too angry with me to tell me." Andy nods slowly, then smiles, "All the kids will be together for a change."

"I can't wait."

"Me either." Andy gently places his knuckle to her chin, tilting her head up to have better access so he can kiss her deeply.


	19. Chapter 19

"Jesus Christ, Julio, would you stop following me around?" Eve growls, jogging through the moderately sized mountain mansion. It seems as if the week was taking its grand old time progressing and they'd been there for years when in actuality, it had only been a couple weeks, "Go take up a hobby. Knitting or...find out what Grandpa has for you to do."

"Maybe you should stop walking so much." Sanchez grumbles, taking her hand, "Just talk to me, would you?"

"About what? We have nothing to talk about."

"Sure we do. We have a lot to talk about, Eve."

She shakes her head, "This can still be a false positive. A lot of things can cause that. Right, Tricia?" Eve calls to her sister-in-law, who was more or less preoccupied with her husband, "I mean a lot of stuff. Look it up."

"I don't need to look up what I already know." Julio shakes his head, looking her in the eye.

"I'm not marrying you. I already-"

"I don't want you to marry me."

"Why don't you want to marry me?" She appears appalled, leaning back slightly.

"For the love of God and all the saints, would the two of you shut the hell up?" Evelyn glances to them, nursing a glass of wine with the stem between her fingers, "Julio, Eve has commitment issues. Eve, let people love you."

Eve walks around the chair, folding her arms to look at her grandmother, "Have I ever told you how much you resemble Yoda?"

Chad interjects, "Not only have you never seen Star Wars, I'm pretty sure you don't even know who Yoda is."

"I know he's small...and green." She narrows her eyes at her grandmother before walking by her, "And you shut up too." Eve gives her brother a look.

"What am I shutting up for? You're calling our grandmother an alien." He stands, walking over to his sister.

"Chad." Tricia warns, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What are ya going to do, Chaddy, hit me?" Eve makes a face, looking at him, "I dare ya."

"This is not happening in my house." Evelyn calls out, glaring between them, it doesn't really stop anything though, so she returns to her glass of red wine.

"You're not hitting the mother of my child." Julio tries to put himself between Eve and her brother, his voice monotone.

"Sanchez, shut up." Eve glares.

Andy hears the commotion and jogs down the steps, "Are you all just dumb as hell or did you all forget that we have a two year old in the house?" He steps between the people, "Everyone, to your rooms. Sanchez...I don't know if you'll want to go in there with her, so maybe try another for the time being?" He notices everyone disperse.

Julio looks to the young woman, then back to Flynn and nods, walking past him.

"Immature jackasses if you ask me." Evelyn says from the wing backed chair, she takes another sip of her drink.

Andy smirks, kneeling to one knee next to the seat, "Are you okay, Evelyn?"

"I'm feeling no pain." She bit her lip in a smile, reaching a hand out to stroke his cheek, "Where's my daughter?"

He chuckles, "She's putting Katie down for a nap. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Sharon really does have good taste in men." Evelyn nods.

"Are you flirting with me right now, Mrs. Rooney?" Andy tilts his head toward her hand.

"If I am?"

"Well, I'm kind of taken right now, but if I had met you first, things would be very different." He nods, teasing. He saw every aspect of his wife in this woman, but knew Sharon was the perfect mix of the both of her parents.

Evelyn leans toward him slowly, kissing his forehead, "Help me to my room?"

"How many glasses have you had?"

"This is my...fifth or sixth."

"Ah." Andy nods, "Come on." He slides his hand under her knees and behind her back before lifting her.

"Oh God, be careful." Evelyn mumbles, wrapping her arms around him, "I'm not as light as I used to be. That's one thing I've always been jealous about with Sharon. Three kids later and she's still thin and gorgeous." She absently strokes the man's hair at his temples.

"You're two different types of people, Evelyn." Andy smirks, "Plus, you had your kids in quick succession when you were younger. All of Shar's have been spaced out. She also needs to stay like that to chase after suspects...which is like watching art itself with her."

"Can't say I've ever seen her run, so I wouldn't know...or care."

He chuckles, "You're a great woman, Evelyn. I'm glad your daughter is just like you."

"Nah. Sharon was always the quiet one. Observant. She could hold her own in a fight when she needed to. Surprised the hell out of me when she went out for softball, but she came out of her shell a bit with it." Evelyn nods, "She was always confident, you know? Smart as hell and sure of herself for the most part. The only things she wasn't sure about, though, were the things that would be obvious to you and I."

Andy smiles to her, gently setting her on the bed, "Want me to help you with your house slippers?"

She nods, "We never had much money when the kids were growing up. There were too many of them and John wasn't up in his career yet. We barely got by sometimes. There were a lot of casseroles and soups and stews. Sundays meant a hot meal...a real meal, you know? Steak or turkey or chicken."

"My mother was the same way." He slowly helps her get comfortable in bed, sitting on the side, just listening to her, "That's just how things were then, I think."

"And I tried, you know? I tried to make sure they all had whatever they needed, but it was hard. Many nights John and I went without so they'd be fed." She nods, "Many nights I went without because John had to work. It's what mothers and wives do."

"Didn't you ever want to do something for yourself?"

"Plenty of times I contemplated leaving." Evelyn swallows, watching him, "Just...just thought about-"

"Ev, you're pretty drunk right now and I know a thing or two about that-"

"Let me talk." She watches him, "I've never been able to say anything about it to anybody, so just let me talk."

"Of course."

Evelyn watches him, "I had two sons. One of them died, but it was around the time Eve was born so...it was hard, but it could have been harder, you know? Eve was...three months old. My son had a heart attack. He was handsome as anything, but...he was a big guy. His heart just seemed to give out." She gently takes Andy's hand, "I cried for days when she told me you had your heart attack." She offers him a sad smile, "I didn't want her to feel the same pain I felt...losing someone you love to something that would have been easily prevented."

"I'm fine now, Evelyn. I swear it." Andy nods slowly, looking her in the eye, "I took care of myself before, it was just one of those things that happened, but...I'm doing even better now. Even stopped smoking, if you can believe that." He smirks, "You have to remember, we all have to die some day."

"Yeah, and it's going to be myself and John to go first or I'm going to be pissed." She mumbles, feeling her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier.

"Well, you have plenty of years left in you yet. You have absolutely nothing to worry about." He gently pulled the covers over the woman, "Is there any medicines or anything you're due before I walk out and you're completely...out of it?"

"I'm fine, dear." Evelyn pats him on the arm, smiling to him before she finally falls asleep.

Andy sighs, looking at her a moment before rising from her side and walking back into the living room.

Sharon walks in from the kitchen at the same time and smirks, tilting her head to the side when she notices her husband, "Having an affair with my mother?" She teases.

"Yeah, we've been meaning to tell you..." He chuckles, wrapping his arms around her waist, "She had a little too much to drink, so I carried her in there."

"You carried her? You know you aren't supposed to do that." She bites her lip, placing a hand over his chest, "You know you need to be careful...very careful."

"It didn't hurt. If I start to feel bad, I'll do something about it." Andy leans into her, kissing her softly, "Alright?"

Sharon nods, "Mom is okay though?"

He smiles, "Fine. I think the MS is getting her a little depressed."

"Not to mention that tensions are running a little high right now." She sighs, then smirks, "You sent everyone to their rooms?"

"They want to act like children, I will treat them as such. Eve was trying to pick a fight with Chad because she called your mother an alien and he was defending Evelyn, of course. Then Julio tried to get between them and protect her, and that obviously wasn't going to go well for him with her either."

Sharon can't help but chuckle, "Poor Sanchez. He can't cut a break."

"Apparently not." Andy shakes his head, "Maybe I'll have to give him a class in dealing with you women."

"Us women?" She leans back, raising an eyebrow, "What do you mean, us women?"

"I mean your daughter acts like you, you act like your mother. It's a vicious cycle of beautiful women who are all a pain in the ass." He nods, "And I mean that with love."

"Sounds that way." Sharon mumbles, holding onto him, "We should make dinner." She looks up to her husband who is giving her a look, "Fine, you should make dinner. I'll help."

"I don't even know what's in there though." Andy makes a face, he obviously didn't want to do this, "What about Rusty? Rusty is great at this and he isn't even in trouble. He wasn't even down here when I yelled at everyone."

"Where was he?"

"He and Mac were playing video games in his room."

"Ah." Sharon smirks, "Let's go look. I'll see if he would mind, but let's at least see what we have." She gently pulls his hand toward the kitchen, giggling when he tries to complain.


	20. Chapter 20

"Happy New Year!" Kate runs back and forth through the bottom floor of the house, banging a small frying pan with a wooden spoon.

"Who the hell gave her that?" Andy calls out, looking around to the people, "Katie, we still have a little bit of time before that."

"I did. Sorry!" Tricia pouts, calling over the noise to him. She takes hold of her husband's hand.

"Ten seconds." Eve grins, watching the television as the silver, lighted ball begins its descent in New York's Times Square, "Four, three, two, one." She glances to Julio, wrapping her arms around him for a hug and is instead met with a kiss.

"I'm not apologizing for it either." Sanchez shakes his head, looking her in the eye.

"Wasn't going to make you." She smirks, hugging him closely.

"Happy New Year, Captain." Andy murmurs into his wife's ear as they sway to the usual playing of music on the television. He grins, kissing her neck softly without making it overly sexual.

"Likewise, Lieutenant." Sharon grins broadly, "Let's have a better year, shall we? No more hospitals?"

"That's easier said than done. We'll be back for at least one thing." He motions to Eve with a nod of the head, "And we'll have to go from time to time, so come up with another one."

"Fine, we're taking better care of ourselves." She nods, "I want them to wonder at her graduation, when we're pushing seventy, why we still look so young."

"From drinking the blood of virgins, right?" Andy smirks.

Sharon tilts her head to the side, able to play his game, "Bathing in it." She kisses him again.

"I'm old enough for it not to bother me, where it shouldn't bother me, but it still makes me feel weird when I see my mother making out with someone." Chad holds his wife closely as they sit on the sofa comfortably, "I should be over that kind of thing, right? It shouldn't bother me anymore."

"She's still your mom." Tricia smiles to him.

"When our kids are grown, I want to gross them out too."

She giggles softly, "I agree." She clears her throat, looking at him, "You should know though, Chad, I can't have any kids. At least, not that I know of."

"Why? What happened?" Chad gently kisses her temple.

"Just take my word for it." Tricia looks away, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. It's one of the reasons people get divorced, you know."

"No, people who get divorced because they don't love each other enough regardless of the reason they put on a piece of paper." He shakes his head, "And I love the hell out of you and don't ever want to let you go."

"Yeah?"

"We can try, we can see what doctors say. When we're ready for it, we will cross that bridge, but I kind of want to enjoy being an uncle for a few years if that's okay with you."

Tricia giggles, breaking away from him, "Only, if I'm an aunt."

"Comes with the territory." Chad kisses her deeply.

"Happy New Year!" Kate runs through the mudroom, banging her wooden spoon against her pan still. She pauses, looking back and forth between Rusty and Mac before running out.

Mac coughs, letting a cloud of smoke escape her mouth.

Rusty chuckles, letting the smoke escape through his nose, looking almost like a dragon.

"How long did it take you to learn to do that?" She raises an eyebrow, still coughing.

"I started when I was seventeen. It was something to do. A hobby." He leans forward, looking at her still, "Dangerous hobby, but I do what I can."

"Stare danger straight in the eye," Mac nods, rugging, "And blow smoke in his face."

"Personification of danger?"

"Seems that way." She smiles to him, "Think they'll come looking for us?"

Rusty grins, laughing a little, "Nah, they're probably all busy making-"

"Just what in the hell are you kids doing?" John looks between them, "You aren't even eighteen and you...Rusty, you know better. Especially with Katherine running around..." He pauses, walking over next to Mac and taking her cigarette, bringing it to his own lips, "Good thing Katie is in the other room."

"Alright, Grandpa." He chuckles.

Mac watches the man, her eyes wide with fear of her secret getting out.

"Would you get a hold on yourself?" John raises his eyebrow, looking to the young girl, "What they don't know won't hurt them. You should watch smelling like cigarettes though. That kind of stuff travels. Would give you up real easy."

"I'll take care of that." She slowly glances to Rusty.

"Everyone is out there carrying on like they're all fifteen years old. All of em." The old man continues.

"Where's Gram?" Rusty picks his head up.

"Sitting in her chair with her wine. She'll sleep well tonight." He nods.

Mac bites her lip before speaking, "Has she been been doing that more and more lately or has she always been like that?"

John shrugs, shaking his head slowly, "You know, I don't even know. It wasn't too bad when the kids were small. A glass at the end of the day to help her sleep. When the kids grew and had their own children, it was for her to get through the day."

Rusty nods, having seen it before with Sharon, "The MS just made it worse then?"

He pauses, then nods, "Yeah, I guess it has."

Mac sighs, "That sounds terrible."

"Yeah, well, what can you do." John shrugs, "She's still the beautiful Polish girl I fell in love with, so I'm not asking much. I just want for her to...to stay at this stage a few more years. For the disease to stay at this stage. I want her to have more time with Katherine and Eve's...whatever it is she's knocked up with."

Rusty smiles, watching the man, "Have you had some wine tonight too?"

"I've had a few beers."

"How many in the past hour?"

"What the hell is this? Why the third degree?"

He sighs, "I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Well, I'm fine." John snaps at him, putting his cigarette out, then points to Mac, "If I catch you with another in your mouth, I'm giving you up." He walks past them, back to the rest of the people.

"Yes, Sir." Mac mumbles, "Seems like there are so many secrets in this family."

"Nah, not so many secrets as there are stubborn people that need a little pushing or an ear to listen to them." Rusty shakes his head.

"A common trait with the Rooney line?"

"Very much so." He stands, putting his cigarette out, "Come on, our plane leaves tomorrow night. We need to pack."

It seemed as if everyone at that time made a mass exodus to their bedrooms to pack their clothing and other things to finally return home to California. It was all bitter sweet, no one wanted to leave the beautiful home, but then everyone did at the same time. They'd find a way.

"You should take the plane with us." Toni follows Julio out to his car early in the morning, "This is dumb as hell, Julio."

"I have to get the car back to the station. Taking Katie's gifts to the Captain's house too." He nods.

"It isn't safe for you to go alone. I can go with you. I'll cancel my ticket."

Sanchez shakes his head, "I'll be fine. You can call me whenever you want. My phone is always on."

"It's a ten hour drive. We can ship the car and the gifts-"

"I did this drive already. Hopefully it will be quicker getting home now that I know the way to go."

Eve nods slowly, "If anything happens-"

"Nothing will-"

"Julio, if anything happens, I'll kill you." She can't help but smile.

Sanchez smirks, shaking his head, "Don't count on it." He leans over, giving her a quick kiss before he opens the door and steps into the car.

"I'm not kidding." Eve sighs, "Just...the bluetooth is always on."

"I'll turn it on in a few hours. It only lasts six." Julio looks to her, "I'll be fine and so will you. I'm not letting you drive with me where I don't have a bathroom. I'm not stopping every three miles for you."

"That's not very nice." She smiles, giving him a look. Eve always appreciated his sense of humor, it was some common ground between them when it wasn't just sex or watching movies at each other's apartments.

Sanchez smirks, squeezing her hand quickly before pulling off.

Eve wraps her usual black cashmere sweater around herself, standing there a few minutes, watching his car drive off slowly.

"Don't you know that it's cold outside?" Rusty stands in the doorway, watching her. Though they were different people, he always found himself comparing Eve to her mother. Their looks, their movements, their patterns of speech. While they were alike one another in many ways, Eve was quick to defend herself when her mother would take the beating over having someone else hurt. Sharon walked with a slight clumsiness as she spent each day in heels, while Eve sashayed constantly, having taken ballet until well into her teens. They sounded the same, had the same nose and smile. Yet, they are two very different people. Rusty chuckles of the constant things he thinks about, why this thought is always something that went through it. The mixture of Evelyn didn't help anything, it only made him compare all three women. "I don't know if you're into freezing your ass off-"

"Oh, shut up." Eve walked by him, "Or I'm telling mom you've taken up smoking."

"What are you talking about?" He makes a face, closing the door, and following closely behind her.

She pauses, turning to him and placing her hands on his shoulders, "You may douse yourself in cologne, but through it all, I can still smell your cheap menthol cigarettes."

Rusty tilts his head to the side, "Is this blackmail?"

"It is what you want it to be." Eve adjusts the collar of the flannel shirt he's wearing, "You've grown into this great guy, Rusty. I'm glad."

"Um," Rusty shrugs, shaking his head and not really understanding where she is going with this, "Okay...thanks."

She leans in, kissing his cheek before bouncing up the stairs to her room.

He sighs, shaking his head until he sees someone small run past him and to the kitchen. Rusty grins, knowing exactly who it is, "Katie?" He calls out, opening the swinging door to the area. He furrows his brow when he doesn't see her. "Katherine Alice Flynn." He continues to look around, singing her name slightly. He pauses, hearing crying. Following the sound, Rusty opens the doors beneath the sink, "Hey."

Kate looks to him, pouting with wet streaks sliding down her cheeks, "My don't cry wid people." She shakes her head.

"Me either." He smiles, sitting on the floor slowly, "What's wrong?"

"Don't wanna go home."

"Neither does anyone else."

"Why my gotta?"

Rusty sighs, "Well, this place is something called a timeshare. That means we can only use it for a little bit of time before someone else needs to use it." He offers her a smile, continuing when she looks at him blankly, "Plus, we all need to get back home. Mom and Dad need to catch bad guys, Mac and I need to get back to school, Eve needs to go to the doctor, so does Gram."

"No one will be home anymores. Everyone will be apart." Kate rests her head on her knees that are pulled up to her chest.

"Katie, what have I told you about that?"

"Don't matter."

"I am home every weekend. Mac is coming to live with you soon too. You won't be alone-"

"Then Maccy will go away to 'chool like you."

Rusty sighs, nodding slowly, "You'll get to see Provenza though. I know you've missed him."

"I do mitt Unk Louie and Lizard."

"Right, so how do you think he feels?"

"He ted he got me pretents." Kate mumbles.

"I don't doubt that." Rusty smiles, "How about you come out of there?"

The girl shakes her head, "I want everybody to tay togeder."

"I have an idea." He adjusts how he's sitting, "What if we make a plan to all get together on Sundays for dinner?"

"At my houte?" Kate picks her head up.

Rusty nods, reaching to her to wipe the tears from her cheeks, "At your house, of course." He smiles to her, "Now, how about you come out from under there?"

"Gram and Grandpa will come too?"

"If they can, sure."

Kate smiles, slowly climbing from under the sink and into her brother's lap, "You come more too." It wasn't a question, she missed him greatly when he was on campus, and even though he visited on the weekends, it was very different from knowing he was there all the time, sharing the same room.

"Absolutely." Rusty grins to her, kissing her hair.

"My like your new muttle." She pats his arm.

He stands, chuckling, "Thanks. I work hard to get my muscles." She was hard to let go of. She was his sister, of course, but he would easily protect her with his life and she had him wrapped around her finger. She had most of the men in her life wrapped around her finger. Rusty carries her into the living room, then upstairs.

"This is always my least favorite day." Sharon sighs, zipping up a piece of luggage they had finished loading, "When we go home and realize we actually need to work."

"You've been doing this for how many years now?" Andy makes a face at her, checking all the drawers and closets, "It's my second year, but you'd think you'd be used to this by now."

"Oh, quiet." She sits on the bed, next to the large bag.

"We have to get back home to find a new place, remember. That's our number one thing right now." He sighs, glancing over to his wife. He sets down the few things he has in his hands and moves in front of her, wrapping his arms around her, "Plus, I talked to Provenza this morning. He said Taylor gave them three cases this morning and that they need us."

"Three cases?" Sharon raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah, which is why we need to get back especially."

She sighs, "I just wanted a day to settle back in."

Flynn shrugs, "How about I go and do what I can and you rest."

"No, I'm your boss. That isn't fair to you." Sharon swallows, standing and hugging onto him more, "Can you text Tao to email me the gist of each case so that I can look over some things about it while we're on the plane?"

"Or you could sleep on the plane."

"I'll be fine-"

"Sharon, we walked into the plane and you started having a panic attack. Katie was pretty concerned. Even offered you her blanket." He smirks, "I'll tell them to email you, but you're sleeping on the plane. You can take one of your pills."

"Half of a pill."

"I nearly had to carry you to the car when we landed here."

Sharon giggles softly, "Was I that awful?"

"Yes. They were going to call medics and everything." Andy smirks, his arms comfortably wrapped around her.

She nods, "Fine."

Flynn nods, "So come on and help me." He picks the bags up, carrying them from the room and down the stairs to the van.

Rusty smiles as he walks past the door, letting Kate run to her parents. He peeks to Eve's room, "You do know Andy plans to leave in like fifteen minutes, right?"

Eve glances over to him, folding a long sleeved sweater, she smirks, "You act like I won't finish this by then."

"You won't." He sighs, walking into the room more, "Want some help?"

She raises an eyebrow, "You fold things?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Rusty attempts to help her, "I think you had your head in the clouds like you usually do and lost track of time."

"I don't do that."

"You do, sometimes."

Eve sighs slowly. It was times like this when she looked most like her mother. When she was most vulnerable. Rusty loved it. "I have a lot on my mind, I suppose."

"I guess you would, Eve. If you didn't, I'd be worried." Rusty shakes his head, helping her place things accordingly into the travel case. He smirks when he notices the articulation the toiletries are in the upper part of the bag. There is a place for everything and everything is in it's place.

She pauses, lacing her fingers together, she places them behind her head, "What am I doing Rusty? This is such a mistake."

"You wanted it."

"Not now. Not like this."

"You've wanted it for years, Evey. It was a matter of who and when." Rusty continues to pack her bag for her, "Sit down, take a breather."

"I used him to get this." She lowers herself onto the bed, staring out in front of herself and not toward him, "I'm no better than..." Eve pauses, biting the corner of her lip.

"Why are you freaking out about this now?"

"Because tomorrow it becomes real...and..."

"You're afraid of what the doctor is going to say, one way or the other." He sighs, "You're going to drive yourself crazy with this and they really don't want you back at the institution."

"No, they do not." Eve smirks.

"Is it because you think Julio wouldn't be a good father?" Rusty finishes putting her things in the suitcase, zippering it.

"Julio is going to be an amazing father." She glances to Rusty, ready to pick the heavy piece of luggage up, "He lights up any time he talks about it."

"Don't." Rusty shakes his head, lifting it for her and handing her a smaller, much lighter bag, "So what's the issue, Eve?"

"He has this whole vision of wife first and kids and a house and a picket fence and...that's just not what I want." Eve follows him down the stairs, "I think we would be fine parents if we were just friends raising a kid together. It isn't unheard of."

"No, but just give him a chance. I've known him a bit longer than you have, believe it or not, and he's a good guy. He takes care of family. He treats Major Crimes as his family, because they are, as well as his biological one. He's wanted a kid all his life. Provenza told me about this boy that they found during a sting, Sanchez took him in and treated him as his own because the father was beating him and killed, he didn't want to give him back when they found his mother. Instead, he started dating her so he could be close to the boy."

She smiles a little, "Provenza told you that?

He pauses, shoving the bag into the back of the van, "I see the way you look at one another. I'm not saying you love him or anything like that, I'm saying you have feelings for him. It would be stupid if you just ignored them." He finishes, then looks her in the eye, "Wait, this has nothing to do with the baby or Sanchez or anything...You don't want anything between you and Sanchez to turn out like what happened to your parents."

Eve looks at the boy she's grown to call her brother, "Get in the van, Rusty."

"I have to say goodbye to Gram and Grandpa." Rusty smirks to her, self satisfied that he figured out her secret, "Sanchez isn't your father and he isn't that guy that messed you up either. Trust your instincts this time."

She nods quickly, walking back into the house and sitting in the living room, awaiting her grandparents.

Evelyn grips onto the edge of her dresser, looking at herself in the mirror. She picks a hand up, looking at how much it's trembling. Luckily she's able to stay on her feet this time.

"Ev, what the hell is taking you so long?" John calls out to her, walking into the bedroom.

"Just give me a minute, would you?" She slips her hands into her pockets, "I've decided something."

"Yeah?"

"I think we should move to Los Angeles. I want to be closer to Katherine...I want her to know me, and since our first great-grandchild is a strong possibility as to what troubles Evey, I want to be there for that too."

"You sure that's a good idea?"

Evelyn nods slowly, "The doctor said this could change into the Secondary Progressive usually ten years after the original diagnosis...Johnny, I've been feeling this way for years already. I don't think I have as much time as he thinks I do."

John watches her, nodding a little bit, "You can't live your life that way though, Ev."

"No, I know." She swallows, "None of the other ones have little ones anymore and they don't visit anyways. I just need it." Tears come to the woman's eyes as she watches her husband, "I need to make sure I make memories with her."

"She'll remember you regardless." He shakes his head, "Don't be like this right now. We have to go say goodbye and then get our own shit together."

"Don't tell em, alright? I just...I just want to do it and it not be a big deal."

"Whatever you want, Ev. It's your call." John watches his wife, he would do absolutely anything for the woman. He worships the ground she walks on and that feeling has only gotten worse since she told everyone about her illness. He moves over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He kisses her forehead softly, reveling in their tender moment.


End file.
